A Zero of Many Masks
by Gallian Squad 7
Summary: Louise just wanted to succeed once. Just once. Now she gets something no one was expecting, least of all the lizard. Now what is she to do when her familiar brings with it both a voice and far too much snark for its own good? Eventual LouisexYuri!Harem.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a rough draft that I thought up and hasn't been looked at by my beta, there will be mistakes.**

 **Edit: Has now been looked over by my beta vaguekiwi!**

 _A Zero of Many Masks._

The organ's keys reverberated through the great hall, the chants of the choir entwining with the notes as the crowd followed along as best they could. None in the great cathedral knew of one guest that was listening to the choir far closer than any other, nor that its presence was blasphemy of the highest order.

The creature pulled its scaly neck back from the small hole it had been listening through, shaking its head at the discordant tone that had shot through the massive room with only a single flip of the organist's fingers.

It had been trapped in the ceiling of the cathedral for nearly five years now, and it had long since memorized every song the ones below had in the books they read from in between eating any mice or rats that found their way to it. It hissed as its claws scraped the stone.

It wished for freedom, to find the places their songs spoke of, to find more of the songs to bring back to its kin and share them amongst the others its kind called friend. It was the calling given to it by the faceless one, after all.

Or Malassa, as the worshipers of Elrath called her.

* * *

 _Tristain Academy of Magic-Night before familiar summoning._

* * *

"There has to be _something_! Something more than this!"

The shrill cry from an isolated room caused not a stir in the silent dormitory, the wards of silence placed well beforehand by a teacher working perfectly.

Inside, a girl who appeared to be in her early teens was seething at a book that held incomprehensible symbols to all but her. She brushed her strawberry blonde hair out of the way and began looking over the marks once more.

After another bout of silence, she groaned and finally slumped down onto her desk, exhausted. She couldn't find anything. Her runes for the summoning were about as perfect as they could be without the founder himself drawing them.

Sighing, Louise François de la Valliere rose from her seat and prepared for bed, even as the moons began to descend in the sky.

Tomorrow was her last chance. The Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual was her final chance to prove to everyone, including herself, that she was a mage. One worthy of her bloodline and not the one that had been given that horrid nickname for all her failures at magic, explosions and all.

Zero.

Forcing away the voices that rose up at the very thought of her nickname, Louise finished her preparations and lay down to sleep. Anxiety ate away at her until she finally, fitfully, fell to the mocking dreams that haunted her.

She woke slowly the next day, soft sunlight brushing her eyes until she sat up groggily. After a moment of considering going back to sleep, her mind snapped back to clarity with a simple realization.

"I'm late!"

She hurried around her room, pulling on her uniform with all possible speed while attempting to gather all the materials she needed for the summoning, especially the rare dragon blood and ground unicorn horn she'd procured at great cost. Gathering everything together after what felt like far too long, she bolted from the room in a disheveled storm.

The snickers she heard from her classmates, tormenters really, did little to assuage her mood, making her ever more sour and frustrated as she rushed out of the academy's gates. She just barely caught up with the group of second years as they made their way to the ordained site, trying her hardest to ignore the malicious whispers around her.

'Please let Zerbst be up front, please let Zerbst be up front.' She thought as she slowly collected her breath. As usual though, the fates were in no mood to comply.

"Why Louise! You actually showed up! And so disheveled at that. Did you find some poor sap to comfort you?"

That sultry, mocking voice made Louise's ire fly to near boiling before she was able to force it down.

"I don't need to hear anything about looking disheveled from _you_ Zerbst. I just woke later than I would have preferred."

Kirche Augusta von Zerbst: Louise's primary rival and tormenter. Whereas Louise was petite, pale, and rather lacking in bust size, Zerbst was tall, tan, and voluptuous with melons that Louise had claimed were fake on more than one occasion.

Kirche folded her arms under said chest, drawing the eyes of every male in the crowd while Louise could only growl. "You should have just kept sleeping Louise; we all know you can't use magic, so what's the point? You'll just blow everything up again like always."

Louise did not deign to respond to that barb, even as everyone else around her chuckled. Instead she turned on her heel and marched through the crowd to find Professor Colbert, their instructor for this year, completely missing the flash of concern that flew across Kirche's eyes.

"Not time. Important things first." A quiet voice whispered, drawing Kirche's gaze to the small blue haired girl next to her.

She made to respond but the girl had already moved forward with the others.

"Geez, Tabitha." Kirche pouted as she followed. "No need to make it worse ya know."

After another few minutes of walking, the second years reached the summoning plane, a circle in the earth marking where summoning's had taken place over the years.

"Alright everybody!" Professor Colbert shouted over the student's mutterings, silencing them. "It's time to begin the Springtime Summoning Ritual! Are there any volunteers willing to start us off?"

No one came forth for a moment, until a brave soul eventually volunteered and the ritual began in earnest. Louise hung back from the others, nervous and angry at the same time as the number of students yet to summon slowly shrank.

Her ire spiked at seeing Zerbst summon a fire salamander of all things and her haughty gaze only served to make her start steaming. She stared in awe when Tabitha, the only one that didn't mock her as far as she knew, summoned a young blue dragon to her side and stared in confusion at the appearance of what Professor Colbert called a 'bugbear'.

Eventually though, she was the only one left.

"Is that everyone?" Professor Colbert called over the din of familiars and excited students.

"Louise hasn't gone yet professor!" A blonde girl shouted back, shooting Louise a mocking smirk at her shocked face.

Louise glared at the girl, Montmorency, before stalking forward as jeers rained on her until Professor Colbert silenced them with a stern glare.

"Go ahead Miss Valliere, take your time. We don't have any other plans for today."

Louise nodded slightly in appreciation but quickly set to work, making her runes as perfect as possible while slowly expanding her complex summoning circle, before sprinkling her reagents here and there, with the dragon blood and powdered unicorn mixed in the center.

After nearly thirty minutes of work, she was satisfied. Taking her place in the circle, she began her chant.

* * *

 _Cathedral of Elrath-Moments before_

The song they sung now was boring, it decided with a rasping sigh, pulling back from its hole. There had been some spice earlier when a group hailing from the south had come in and led a song in a different tongue, but the song was dutifully memorized and now it was bored once more.

After a moment's thought, it turned back into the hollow it had made for itself in the cramped confines when an eerie melody entered its mind. Stunned, it looked around for the source of the music, before it finally spotted a green light near its listening hole. Curious, it moved forward.

The music grew louder as it grew closer, eventually consuming its mind with the cacophonous sound until the light surged forward and swallowed it whole, only a shrill screech marking its departure.

 _Louise_

She had failed, this time for good.

After she had finished her chant and flooded the circle with her willpower, the runes spat a violent purple and red light before unleashing an explosion eclipsing any she'd created before. The force was enough to send everyone sprawling, with only Tabitha and Professor Colbert remaining where they were.

She sunk to her knees, tears threatening to spill as jeers and insults began to rain on her once more as the class picked themselves up. Colbert was swiftly at her side, offering what comfort he could to the despondent girl before a shriek shattered the scene.

Colbert turned back to the smoke where the shriek had originated. He used a wind spell to dissipate the fog and reveal the source of the cry.

The class gasped as they beheld the beast: a massive lizard with blue-black scales, and four thick legs that ended in wicked talons. The tail ran for almost two meters before ending in a sword like point, sharp spines running along the length of its back.

Yet, the class began to laugh again as the head came into view. While it's underbelly could now be seen, decorated in scales resembling moonstone, the head was crested with a large bone that resembled a large purple helmet, spikes covering it and leading down to a mouth filled with razer teeth.

But, the class was laughing at the ragged tear that separated the head from its body.

"You killed your own familiar! That's just like you Zero! Even when you succeed you fail!" Came a cry from the peanut gallery, though Kirche was not a part of them for once, looking to Louise in worry.

While Louise tried to pull herself back together, Colbert studied the creature closely.

'I don't recognize this creature at all. If anything the face doesn't betray a hint of surprise like the others.'

He moved a bit closer to the corpse, leaving Louise to be comforted by Tabitha of all people, and got a closer look at the wound.

'It's dissolving,' he observed with some surprise, watching as the ragged edges of skin and sinew quickly disappeared before stopping at the body. 'Is it a defensive reaction?'

His thoughts were put on hold when the body began to move.

Without a head.

"Get back!" He called to the students who were just now noticing the large creature standing up. "There's some kind of spell on it! Move away!"

He needn't have said anything as the student's familiars had long since begun to drag, or attempt to drag, their masters away from the standing corpse.

Colbert had his staff trained on the body, ready to burn it to cinder, when the neck began to, for lack of a better term, bubble.

The bubbling started slowly but swiftly grew frantic, drawing horrified calls from the students as they saw the disgusting roll of flesh before the mound of skin burst.

Two heads matching the one on the ground sprang from the mess.

All activity stopped as the heads hissed and sputtered, coughing up the fluids and excess that came from their birth, before regarding the congregation before them curiously.

"Brimir's beard," Colbert swore, looking to a shocked Louise. "Lady Valliere… please continue with the contract."

Louise felt elation rise in her chest for a moment before an earlier lesson sent her mind back into the dark.

Only Brimir had the right to regeneration from death, any creature or magic that could cheat death aside from his own was considered blasphemy and was rewarded with incineration.

And she just summoned something that could.

Her thoughts were so jumbled at the revelation that she didn't even register walking up to the great beast, waving it down, finishing her chant, and binding it with a kiss on the snout.

The creature shot back at the contact, surprise showing on its face, before runes began to etch themselves onto it's right leg. It screamed in pain, the noise shrill and painful. The runes finished and one final surprise revealed itself.

The creature looked at her, golden eyes shining in both heads before the left one… spoke.

"Hiyo kuumiza ndogo moja." **(1)**

 _End_

 **This means 'That hurt little one' in swahili. Thought it'd be fun to have a hydra speak that way at first.**

 **This... is something that has been sitting in my head for a** _ **long**_ **time. I always wondered how a hydra would be received in the Zero no Tsukaima universe but this is more to gauge general interest in the idea as I would like to finish my other story before I did this one.**

 **That's... really all I have so I'll leave this to you guys. Have a good day.**


	2. Learning

**I think I'll go ahead and write a couple more chapters and see if I can drum up some more support before going back to my main story. Thus this is more of a side project when I've run into a wall in my other story so don't expect regular updates.**

 _Learning_

* * *

Chained again.

It hissed into the metal that held its jaws, not bothering to even struggle against its restraints in the dark room. Clearly, its captors thought the darkness would help to intimidate it, but a hydra could see in the blackest depths without issue; this pittance was nothing to it.

'Freedom was before me.' It fumed. 'They were but simple humans, obviously stunned. I could have fled to find my kin and fulfill my mission!'

It hissed again.

'And now I am chained again, just like when those thrice damned elves came.'

After they had chained it, no other humans had entered its cell. They seemed content to leave it to rot, even when it had tried to protest its unjust imprisonment. They just ignored its words, looking for all the world like they didn't understand it.

How irritating.

Their dialect was a bit different, but he recognized the speech from when Western Imperials would visit the cathedral. Its poor luck was that it could only understand it, but not speak it. Maybe if it could grow another head…

It dismissed the thought as soon as it came. They'd been smart about things, and bound it so tightly it simply could not move. Even if the metal it was bound in had even the slightest edge, it was still dull enough that it could barely penetrate the hydra's scales.

Both heads hissed and tried to move, yanking at their chains to no avail. The bald one had said they'd have to wait for its 'summoner' to awaken before anything would be done to it, before he had left the room. Now, all it could do was wait.

Maybe hum if it felt like doing so.

…

The heads sighed.

This was going to be a very boring wait.

Louise

Louise wasn't truly aware of what happened next. All she could remember before fainting was seeing a gigantic lizard with two heads... before one of them actually spoke.

After that, all she could remember was the deep darkness of unconsciousness, though somehow, she had the sense of pleasant sounds whispering to her; trills of a flute and chants in a language she couldn't understand. They were swept away all too soon though and she slowly began to awaken.

"Ugh." She groaned as light stabbed at her eyes. She wasn't on the ground anymore – grass was nowhere near as soft as what she was laying on – and she could hear people talking over her.

"…And that's final monsieur Colbert! I don't care how many times I have to tell you but we cannot take her to see that beast!"

"That creature is her familiar. She has bound it to herself and the runes on its leg are all the proof I need. Once she awakens and is deemed healthy, I am to take her to the creature to try and sort this out; Principal Osborn's orders."

She couldn't remember what they were talking about for a moment. Then it hit her; she'd just summoned and bound a creature of blasphemous nature.

She shot bolt upright as the memories hit her, startling the other two people in the room. "Professor Colbert! Is it true? Did I summon something… blasphemous?"

Colbert smiled at her, glad to deliver some good news. "No Lady Valliere, happily you did not."

That made both Louise and the nurse gape. "If you would please excuse us Mary, I need to have a discussion with Lady Valliere."

The nurse nodded before leaving, still shocked. "As I was saying milady, you have not summoned a beast that comes back from the dead. Rather, you've summoned a creature that can survive losing a head and grow more. Like some lizards and their limbs."

Louise took a moment to process that while the shock subsided. "But... even lizards die when their heads come off. Everything dies when its head comes off!"

Colbert nodded. "For normal creatures and magical ones alike that is true, but this one appears to be a special case. Just before it stood up in the field, I could see blood still pumping from its body."

That made Louise pause. When your head comes off, you die; that was the most natural thing in the world. To have something that could survive decapitation...

She fell out of her cot and bowed to Colbert. "Please don't tell my mother!"

While Colbert looked at her in surprise, Louise was already picturing what would happen. Her mother would never harbor anyone who was even the slightest bit blasphemous – She'd be disowned at best, and turned into fertilizer for the gardens if she wasn't lucky. Her breathe came quicker as her mind continued down the path, imagining the dressing down she was sure to get.

"Now Lady Valliere, there's no need to panic. I've made sure every last student has been sworn to secrecy, and not a letter has left this academy in the past few hours. Your secret is safe from both your family and the church."

Louise almost fainted again from the relief she felt. "Thank you Professor Colbert. You have no idea what that means to me."

Colbert chuckled. A heartfelt thanks from Louise was like snow in the fire mountains from what he'd heard. "That's quite alright. Now I'm going to let the nurses give you a thorough check up before we need to go. I'll be waiting outside."

With that, he left and the nurses descended on Louise with a fury, poking and prodding her for almost half an hour before letting her escape. Once outside, she followed Colbert silently through the hallways until they reached a door with a pair of guards. Colbert spoke a few words before the guards allowed them through, casting suspicious glances at Louise as she passed them.

"It appears that Principal Osmond has been waiting for us to arrive. Do be on your best behavior Lady Valliere." Colbert spoke, all business.

He received mute nod before they walked on further, eventually reaching a large, barred door. He muttered a few words that Louise couldn't hear before the chains on the door fell away with a crash, making her jump in surprise.

The doors opened with a great creak and Louise followed Colbert into the room, soon spotting Principal Osmond and her… familiar.

"Ah, Lady Valliere, so good of you to join us. Are you feeling well?" The principal asked.

Louise nodded to him, staying silent for the moment. She'd admit, if only to herself, that she was still feeling a bit apprehensive of everything.

"Good, good; this would be hard to discuss without you present." Osmond said, stroking his long beard. "As you know, this creature spoke to you before you understandably fainted, but we have found something else."

A rustle of chains brought their attention to the creature, the gold eyes in each head staring at them intently.

"… As I was saying, while we pulled the creature here, the head on the right spoke in a dialect that was far more similar to our own then the first tongue, though we still couldn't understand what it was saying. We were hoping that your contract could shed some light on this."

Louise was confused. "How could I possibly help? I can't use magic properly and I don't know how I could possibly communicate with this… creature." She answered while waving her hand in the lizard's direction.

It seemed to be glaring at them now, no doubt suspicious of their intentions. Louise sighed before an idea came to her. "Principal Osmond? Is it okay if I hear that other tongue?"

Osmond stroked his beard in thought. "Why, child? What could that achieve?"

"I've spent innumerable hours reading numerous manuscripts sir. I may be able to place what language the creature's other head speaks." Louise said confidently.

Osmond hummed as he considered the idea.

"Very well, but I will only free its mouth, nothing more."

Osmond gave a quick wave of his of his staff and the muzzle around the right head fell to the floor with a crash.

The response was immediate.

"Et dimittam te interrogabo mihi! Warantizare non frustra fecerim hoc flagitium elit!" (1) The head raved, its voice booming across the room.

Louise knew the language immediately – she'd found the runes she'd used for her summoning in a book written in the language, after all.

"That's Old Romalian! From the Vestri period!"

Colbert raised a brow. "That dialect has been dead for nearly six centuries. Why would this creature speak a dead language?"

Osmond thought for a long moment before an idea struck him. "It's said that the summoning spell calls forth a familiar from across space and time. Miss Valliere could have summoned a hitherto extinct species!"

Louise gaped at that. Something that was currently extinct! Not to mention that, as long as she trusted professor Colbert's opinion, it wasn't blasphemous either! She couldn't wait to wipe the smug grin off that Zerbst's face!

While they were talking the creature continued to rave, at some point switching to a string of what sounded like curses and threats. Louise grew annoyed enough to have her joy overcome and snap at the creature.

"Oh be quiet you dumb lizard!" She shouted, making the raving head stare. It swiftly began to curse and insult her, specifically her height.

"Silence!" She snapped, flinging her wand out on instinct to cast a silence spell.

Predictably, the explosion hit the head and blew it away, leaving a bleeding stump.

Louise stood, stunned, as an awkward silence filled the room. Blood gushed to the floor from the destroyed head in the silence, before the flow quickly dried up, ceasing as the neck swiftly decayed. After another moment the stump began to pitch and roll as it had earlier that day, before another two heads sprung forth, coughing up the after birth.

Now the creature had three heads.

Before anyone could speak, let alone try and bind the heads to the wall again, the middle head cleared its throat.

"Before you try and put that muzzle back on me, let's try and talk this out."

Silence met the words, somehow the creature was now speaking perfect Tristainian, with nary an accent.

Seeing the shock, the creature explained. "With the vast amount of cultures and languages where I come from, I've devised a way to learn languages swiftly. While this requires losing a head, the ability to learn is of great value."

The smooth, deep voice had a somewhat hypnotic quality to it, though Colbert and Osmond could tell that it was so subtle that it was likely even the creature was unaware of it. Shaking their heads, they addressed it.

"Well this makes our lives easier. We would like to know exactly who, and what, you are as well as where you came from." Osmond began, fielding simple questions.

A head twitched to focus on the old man. "I will answer your questions if you answer some of my own. Firstly, who is the one that summoned and branded me? Secondly, what it this place? Lastly, why have I been imprisoned?"

Osmond stared at the creature and it stared back, neither willing to budge. The tension was palpable in the room and Louise actually began to sweat as the stare down stretched on.

Eventually, the creature gave in. "Very well then. I am known as Neboqyu, but you may call me Neb. I am what is known as a hydra; my people can regenerate our heads as long as we aren't destroyed completely, and my brood is from the Violet Mountains. Now answer my own."

Osmond tried to hold in his confusion at the last answer. He'd never heard even a whisper about 'Violet Mountains' but he needed to fulfill his end now.

"The one that summoned you is named Louise Fraçois de la Valliere, a student of the Tristain Academy of Magic. You are currently held in the Academy itself and were imprisoned as a precaution against violence as we had no way of communicating effectively."

The creature narrowed its eyes. "I've never heard of this Tristain. The only countries I'm aware of are the Silver Cities and the Griffin Empire. The other peoples of my realm are not more than scattered city states."

Osmond and Colbert shared a glance while Louise fumed, seemingly forgotten. After a moment, the old man slowly nodded.

"We'll be willing to show some maps of our region and surrounding countries, and we're willing to allow you outside. However, you must stay close to Louise herself as she is now your… master to put it bluntly. While a sentient creature has never been summoned, I fear the link is permanent once formed."

Neb growled at that, but he knew enough of magic that he was aware such bonds were usually permanent. He could only hope that his so called master was better than the elves.

Louise, finally frustrated enough at being left out, spoke up. "Then allow me to show him to a place he can stay. The hour grows late and I know for fact that it will take a while to find the necessary maps."

The others blinked, finally remembering the girl. "Ah, you are quite right Miss Valliere." Osmond sighed. "Our library is quite large, and finding the correct maps will take time. So, I will release you, Sir Neb. But know this: If you bring harm to any of the students or staff here... I will turn you to dust myself. Understood?"

Neb could see the grim fact in the old man's eyes, all of his heads chuckling after a moment. "Very well Sir Osmond." He answered, suddenly respectful. "I never meant harm in the first place."

Osmond nodded and waved his staff once more, ignoring Colbert's excited mutterings behind him. The bindings and metal surrounding Neb fell away and he stretched his great limbs, groaning in relief. Shaking his heads, he looked to his master turned guide.

"Lead the way."

Louise nodded, still a bit nervous, before waving Neb to follow her. His footsteps resounded through the large hallway with great thuds, making Louise jump for a bit until she got used to it. They reached the outside after a few minutes walking, having left the professor and headmaster behind as they discussed the new information, and found the sun nearly below the horizon.

"Come along familiar, we need to take you to the stables for tonight. I'll find you a more appropriate place to sleep this week." Louise sighed, not noticing how Neb rolled his eyes at what she called him. It was much better than the things the elves and imperials called his kind.

He did notice that he and Louise were the only ones on the grounds. It appeared that almost everyone else had retreated inside for the day – which suited him just fine. It wasn't fun being the center of attention, after all.

They walked for another few minutes before arriving at a deserted stable, a few swings of Neb's tail clearing enough room for him to rest for the night.

"I hope you do not mind Louise... may I call you Louise? But I would like to do some exploring tonight."

Louise narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "You may… but stay out of sight! I don't want the servants panicking!"

She left in a huff after that, not answering his other question. 'I guess I'll just call her Louise then.' Neb thought, looking at the massive stone walls that enclosed the area around him. Seeing a glint of something a little in the distance, he craned one of his heads forward until he got a better look at the event.

'Hmph. Two people on an evening rendezvous. I've seen enough of these to know how this ends.' He thought before the other two heads saw something that made him freeze.

'When was my neck able to stretch like that?'

He looked up.

'And why are their two moons?!'

– – –

Louise

– – –

'I can't believe today!' Louise thought as she tried to hold her excitement behind her sour face. She couldn't help but worry about her mother or the church getting wind of the summoning, not to mention what she'd do if any of the servants panicked. She could only hope they wouldn't, given they were already dealing with Tabitha's dragon.

She finally reached her dormitory, opening the door slowly when she didn't hear anyone. The main floor was deserted, and she could only hope that the common room would be as well considering the time. Walking up the stairs as slowly and quietly as she could, she eventually reached the common room landing and strained her hearing.

Hearing nothing, she took a peak around the corner. Still not seeing anything, she took a step into the room.

"Louise!"

Her hopes were dashed when a tan red-head dashed forward and enveloped her in a hug, pressing her face firmly into the other girl's ample bosom.

"Mrph! Mrrphgggrrr!" Louise attempted to say, smothered by the fleshy pillows. She wouldn't admit it, but the feeling of the breasts was... pleasant, to say the least.

"Oh I was so worried," Kirche cried, hugging Louise tighter. "I was so worried when you fainted and that big lizard got dragged away! I thought you'd be tried and killed!"

Louise finally extricated herself, enjoyment replaced with rage.

"Why do you care?!" She shouted cheeks red in anger. "All you've done is insult me ever since we arrived here! Our families are rivals! Almost blood enemies! You even gave me that disgusting moniker! You should be happy at the thought of me dying!"

Kirche couldn't answer, so Tabitha spoke up. "Worried too."

Louise's anger continued to boil despite the claims. "Says the one that's spoke all of five words to me! What do you care about me?! I haven't seen you care about anything!"

Louise stormed up the stairs then, leaving the two girls dumbstruck. She would continue in her rage all the way to her room, none she passed daring to get in her way, before slamming the door behind her. She stomped to her bed and fell into the sheets, grabbing a pillow to scream into for all she was worth.

After finally calming down, she felt all her energy drain away. Standing, she readied herself for bed and finally flopped into bed exhausted. Her last thought before dreams of a grand cathedral and music consumed her?

'Why do they care? My only success might just get me killed.'

Ch End.

 **(1) This means 'I demand you release me! I have done nothing to warrant this heinous treatment!' in Italian. (Or at least the closest I can get to it.)**

 **And that's that. If you enjoyed the story then please leave a favorite or follow! If you really enjoyed it leave a review!**

 **As I said earlier this is not my main story, but I'm considering changing this to my main project after my current one is done. If you would like to see this gain a much more regular update schedule after my current one is done, please visit my poll! (And maybe check out my original story if you like Fire Emblem ;).**

 **Also, before anyone asks, if I eventually turn this into my main story it will be a Louisexyuri!Harem. Why you ask? Because with Saito being replaced by a hydra I have literally no male characters in the show that I like outside of Scarron so if you don't like it that's your choice.**


	3. Bonding Day

**This is the last chapter I'm going to write on this story for now. I've reached a very important part in my main story and it will draw most of my attention for some time. Sorry to those looking forward to regular updates but as I said in the previous chapter this is only a side project.**

 ** _Bonding Day_**

Louise was unavailable.

That was what Neb had found when he'd calmed down from his initial panic. And by panic, he meant rolling across the ground while his heads tried to make sense of two moons. One had the idea that Asha and Urgash had finally reconciled, thus the blue and red colorings, but that was swiftly dismissed.

Those two hated each other on a fundamental level, they'd never reconcile.

Eventually reason took hold and he remembered the elderly wizard's words. The spell that brought him here reached across space and time. Depending on what the maps showed him, he was either flung far into the future or he was in another world altogether.

He did his best to clean up the divots and ditches he'd made in his panic before setting off to find his diminutive master. Years of being trapped in a cathedral with the threat of death ever present quieted his steps and he kept his belly low to the ground. There were a few close calls with servants and guards going about their duties but his dark scales blended well into the shadows and his new found ability to stretch his necks near and far helped immensely.

Sadly, there was such a jumble of scents he had a very hard time distinguishing Louise's amongst them. The heavy perfumes that seemed popular here only frustrated him further before a new scent hit the nose of a head near another tower.

'I believe that's Louise.' He thought as he made for the tower. 'But why does she smell aroused?'

Storing that thought for later, he began to peer into the windows embedded in the tower, the scent going cold beyond a door he was far too large to fit through. The first three floors held nothing of interest, only sleeping humans with a smattering of small animals.

The fourth floor held a large salamander being hugged by an obviously distraught woman, crying about something he couldn't make out, an empty room, and a curtained window with drapes the same color as Louise's hair.

'That must be her.' He thought, still shaking slightly at the precarious perch his neck had become. He may have been seven feet high at the shoulder but having a thirty foot neck made for poor balance. Not seeing any light in the room, he inched forward and lightly rapped on the window.

No response.

He tried again, this time hitting it a bit harder.

Still no response.

Frowning, he pulled his right head down to the earth and picked up a small rock. Rearing back, the head tossed the rock at the window and his central head watched as it slammed into the glass. A flash of light bloomed when the rock hit, sending it flying away from the wall and nearly taking out one of his eyes.

'Enchanted. Why am I not surprised?'

Sighing, he retracted all three heads back to their original positions and began the trek back to his stable for the night. He wouldn't be able to speak with her until the next day but he could study the brand on his leg while he waited.

A rush of air behind him drew his attention. A young girl, astride a blue dragon, landed behind him and regarded him quietly. They stared at each other a moment before Neb spoke.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

The young girl blinked in surprise. "… Speak Tristanian?"

"Indeed. Did you expect me to speak my native tongue in a foreign land?"

The girl's mask of stoicism fell back into place, giving a quick shake of her head. "…Sorry."

He rolled his eyes. "No need to apologize. I get that reaction a lot. And you fledgling? You look ready to explode."

The dragon flinched, not expecting the question. A hard glare from the young girl kept her silent though.

"Please, let her speak. There's no point trying to hide a secret I'm already aware of."

She glared. "…How?"

Neb turned to face the two fully, his white underbelly shining. "She has the shine of sentience in her eyes. Dumb beasts do not balk at a glare from a much smaller creature, they do as they wish. They also do not whisper 'Irukukwu doesn't like three head.'"

A large bead of water formed on the back of the girl's head as she sighed, briefly closing her eyes. When she opened them, Neb's heads were staring resolutely at the back of her head.

"How do you form such large drops so effortlessly? Are you a water magi?"

She sighed again. "…Too close."

Neb pulled back. "My apologies. This world has given me a number of surprises thus far tonight and I simply must study it. But the time grows late and I must rest. I wish you a goodnight young lady, and to you as well fledgling."

He strode away then, soon disappearing into the shadows of the castle walls. The young girl remained with her dragon in silence before they returned to the sky.

"Big sis Tabitha?" The dragon asked once they were over the academy. "He knows things. What does this mean for us?"

Tabitha sighed again as she looked to the twin moons. "…Dangerous."

She looked to the tower holding his master.

"Louise…Dangerous." 

_Morning_

Sunlight fell into the room once more, shining on a pink lump curled on her bed. She had a dopey smile on her face as a dream ran across her mind, riding atop a great griffin as she destroyed an army of skeletons. But, a tapping at her window eventually drew her from the dream.

She stretched and yawned, still groggy as she walked to her window and pushed aside the curtain.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Only to be met with two gold eyes and a curious Neb head.

"What are you doing?!" She screamed at the head, only succeeding in making it press an odd indentation on the side of its head to the window.

Louise almost screamed at him again before she remembered. 'The silencing wards.' She thought, giving herself a mental slap. She opened the window and the head grinned before speaking.

"Buongiorno Louise! E come stai questa bella giornata?"

She stared at him.

"Ah! Colpa mia ,si desidera parlare con l'altra. Un momento."

The head pulled back towards the ground, another soon taking it's place.

"Good morning Louise! And how are you this fine day!"

She stared at him again.

"Hello? Louise? Are you there?"

Her mind finally snapped out of its haze.

"You're real!" She cried, jubilation practically oozing out of her face.

"Last I checked I'm still breathing so I suppose I'm real."

He didn't get a response; Louise was jumping about her room in excitement. All her formal lessons and manners were thrown to the wind for now as she celebrated becoming a true mage and finally silencing her detractors.

Neb watched her celebrate in amusement, all his heads chuckling as she cartwheeled.

Finally she calmed down. "I'm just so glad you're not blasphemous! That would have been the end of me!"

Now Neb was confused. "Blasphemous? Are you a follower of Elrath?"

Now it was Louise's turn to be confused. "Who's Elrath?"

Neb sighed in relief. "It doesn't matter. I doubt you'd know even if I told you. I simply wished to inform you that some kind of bell rang while you were asleep."

Louise, having gone to grab her uniform, froze. "Oh no! That's the breakfast bell! Wait for me at the base of the tower familiar, I'll be down shortly!"

Neb blinked before pulling his head down and moving toward where the tower's base was. His last meal had been months ago so breakfast sounded wonderful. Seeing the main door, he plopped himself down near it with a thud, ignoring the wary looks and whispers of the students around him.

Louise appeared a few minutes later, a little disheveled but otherwise presentable. She began to jog towards the center of the academy while waving for Neb to follow her. He didn't see what the rush was but he kept pace with her easily.

"If this little jog is enough to wind you then I foresee much exercise." He quipped once Louise stopped in front of a large hall, panting from the run. She had just enough presence of mind to glare at him.

"Familiars… do not… talk… back… to their… masters." She panted.

"Most familiars can't talk Louise." Neb answered, smiling at her glare.

"Fine, have it your way." Louise answered after another moment of panting. "Besides, familiars aren't allowed into the dining hall. You'll have to eat with the other familiars over there."

She pointed to a makeshift corral where a number of animals were eating.

"Well it's better than an attic I suppose. Should I just take my food or ask for something in particular?"

Louise huffed. "Do what you wish, just don't make the servants panic."

With that, she entered the large dining hall. From what he could see, the hall had three very long tables with a variety of students sitting at them. They all had something in common though, with students in brown cloaks on the left, black in the center, and purple on the right.

Humming at the odd organization, Neb left to find some food. The animals in the corral began to panic as he approached so he left them be and tried to find a servant that wouldn't run from him. After a few attempts, he finally found one that only froze.

"Excuse me." He asked to the wide eyed maid. "Could I request some food?"

She nodded slowly, shock in her eyes.

"It's alright young one, I don't bite. If you could just bring me some beef, apples, and lettuce that would be wonderful."

She nodded again, even giving a stiff curtsy before fleeing from him. He watched her go, bemused. Her hair reminded him of some night spirits he'd run into over the years but he couldn't remember seeing any humans with her distinct features.

Shaking his heads, he sat down to wait, tapping a beat with his claws. He could still hear his favorite melody but he didn't have the heads to sing it and he couldn't just ask random people to lop off a head or two.

The maid returned as he finished the thought, a bounty in her arms.

"That was quite fast, and not a single morsel dropped from what I can tell."

She stiffly presented the food to him and he gave it a quick sniff. The apples and lettuce were crisp and fresh from what he could tell, but he'd need to ask the salamander if he could use its tail.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, I hope I haven't interfered with your work Miss…"

"Siesta." She squeaked.

"Miss Siesta. A lovely name. Miss Siesta I hope you don't mind me asking but as the only one to have not run away from me in fear today, could I ask for your help? I understand little of this world and have many questions."

She nodded meekly, starting to relax around this very polite creature.

"Excellent. If you could find me when you are next free, I would greatly appreciate it. But before that, I must eat. Good day Miss Siesta."

He turned to his food then and began to happily munch away, not noticing Siesta walk away in a daze.

'So that's Lady Louise's familiar?' She thought as she continued her chores. 'He's very polite for a large lizard.' 

_Louise_

She left her familiar to his own devices once she entered the Alvis Dining Hall, hoping to sit down with little incident. But, the hall fell silent when she entered, all eyes immediately locking onto to her as she walked down the center table. She did her best to ignore the looks as she found an empty spot at the end of the table, but soon hid her face in her arms once she sat down. Someone cleared their throat from the direction of the teacher's table and conversation resumed. She could still feel some eyes on her but they had diminished greatly.

After a moment of stewing in embarrassment she began to eat, pulling some of her favorite pastries off a passing servant's trey. No one sat near her, like usual, but she received an unexpected visitor.

Louise stared as Tabitha took a place across from her, nose buried in her ever-present book. They didn't speak for a while, one eating, one reading, before Louise finally spoke.

"I… wanted to apologize for last night." She began, swallowing her pride. She knew that she'd insulted Tabitha badly the night before and her honor demanded she apologize. "It was a very stressful day and I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, you didn't deserve it."

Tabitha just kept eating, not reacting.

"What more do you want me to say?" Louise seethed, ire rising at Tabitha's apathy. "Do you want me to apologize to Zerbst too? Is that why you came over here?"

Tabitha kept eating.

Louise was ready to explode. "You and I both know that I will _never_ apologize to Zerbst for _anything_. She's tormented me from the day we came to this academy and has never offered me so much as an incentive to tolerate her. Why would I ever apologize to that _wretch?!_ "

She had shouted the last word, panting as the hall fell silent again. Tabitha didn't say anything, simply closing her book and giving a bored look to those around them. When they turned back to their meals she spoke.

"…Curious."

Louise blinked. "Curious? About what?"

Tabitha pointed at her.

"You're curious about me? Why?"

She pointed outside the hall, where the familiars were gathered. Neb seemed to be trying to get Sylphid and Kirche's salamander to do something.

Louise snorted, uncaring of the vulgar noise. "Of course it'd just be about him. Well I don't know much either so go ask him yourself!"

She stood up and stormed out of the hall, ignoring Tabitha as she followed behind. Bursting into the open, she marched up to Neb.

"Come with me familiar! It's time for 'bonding'!"

Neb looked down at her in surprise but followed along. "I'll see you later fledgling,fire kin, it appears I have to help my master cool off!"

Sylphid whined, not wanting to see her new friend leave while the salamander continued eating. Tabitha kept walking after Louise, waving Sylphid to follow.

They eventually arrived at a large courtyard with tables set up and servants waiting for the students to arrive.

"So, this 'bonding'." Neb began as he stood next to a table Louise had chosen. "Are we supposed to do something physical or is it strictly verbal?"

Louise didn't answer, still fuming at the other girl sitting across from her. Other students were beginning to make their way into the courtyard and one of the Neb heads noted that only black cloaked students were in attendance.

"… Get to know familars." Tabitha stated, looking to Neb. "Point of day off."

"Ah, that makes sense. Thank you Miss…"

"Tabitha."

"Miss Tabitha. Or should I call you Lady Tabitha? Most schools don't have servants for the students so I assume you have some blue blood in you."

Tabitha shook her head, continuing to read her book. The silence stretched onwards then, swiftly becoming awkward. Neb didn't know how to deal with female angst so he simply observed the other students and their familiars.

Outside of the large salamander he'd met earlier and incredibly large mole there was nothing really interesting to see. Eventually deciding that the students were boring, he turned his attention to the servants.

Louise, finally calm, sipped tea. "Shouldn't you be with Zerbst like always?"

Tabitha shrugged. "…Curious."

Louise sighed. "I told you to ask him the questions, not me. He knows more about himself than I do."

Tabitha shook her head. "…More curious about summoner."

Louise raised a brow, but was cut off before she could respond.

"I hate to interrupt your riveting conversation. But we appear to have some slapstick brewing over there."

Neb's amused tone brought Louise and Tabitha's eyes to a table a little ways away from them. A young blonde boy was on his knees, pleading from what they could tell, before two girls. One was wearing a brown cloak with short brown hair while the other wore a black cloak with very long blonde hair.

"Oh that's just Guiche. Looks like he finally got caught double timing."

They watched him get slapped by both of them before one ran away crying while the other stormed away. Louise chuckled at it while Tabitha turned back to her book, neither noticing Neb narrow his eyes as he spotted someone.

"Excuse me a moment ladies." He began to walk towards the ring of laughing students with surprising stealth.

"…Is your fault!" Was the first thing Neb heard when was finally in earshot. "I told you it wasn't mine and now you've made two maidens cry! I'll have your job for this!"

Neb narrowed his eyes at the call, trying to see who the young fool was talking to. He saw her after a moment.

"Miss Siesta!" **(1)** "Signorina Siesta!"

His calls made those near him scream in surprise, most scrambling away from him in panic. How did they not notice the great beast?

He stepped forwards, eyeing the boy and maid carefully. "Now what is this about jobs and maidens?"

Guiche spoke first, bravado and wounded pride pushing away his fear. "I told this servant that a bottle of perfume she tried to give me was not mine! But she insisted and it caused a great misunderstanding, breaking the hearts of two innocent maidens!"

Neb narrowed his eyes. "Indeed? Siesta, what do you have to say in your defense?"

Siesta was rocking back and forth, obviously faint, but she mustered the strength to speak. "I-I saw the vial d-drop out of milord's p-p-pocket. I simply tried t-to return it."

Neb nodded, eyes nearly slits. "Can you give me this vial Siesta? I think I can solve this easily."

She nodded, nervously placing the vial on the ground before her. Neb placed one of his heads before the vial and uncorked it with his tongue, taking a deep breath of the cologne inside. He nodded and another of his heads, having snuck up behind Guiche, took a large whiff of Gucihe, making him yelp.

The two heads pulled back and began to argue in their foreign tongues, his central head nodding along. The courtyard had long grown silent at the scene, many reminded of a courtroom scene from the novels.

Eventually, the heads reached an agreement. "You boy, what is your name?"

"Guiche de Gramont! Son of General Gramont!" He declared proudly, believing the name would sway the judgement.

"Then Guiche de Gramont, I must say that you are in the wrong."

The peanut gallery gasped, enraptured by the scene.

"You positively reek of the cologne in the vial, it's a note for note match. You blame the servant to hide your own shame, disgraceful."

Guiche's jaw clenched as jeers from his peers rained on him. "It doesn't matter! She is a commoner and I am a noble! The staff will never believe her word over my own!"

Neb narrowed his eyes, already hearing his master trying to fight her way through the crowd. "Is this true Miss Siesta?"

She nodded slowly, tears welling in her eyes. She'd have to move back to Tarbes and explain to her family why they'd have to lose their shop, maybe even have to move.

Neb hummed, disgusted at Guiche's triumphant grin. Then, he had an idea.

"Louise," He began, turning to face his angry master. "Are you in the market for a personal servant?"

The question iced her temper, a frown forming on her face. "Well I can't ask you to do laundry so I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

He snaked his main head behind Siesta, placing his snout over her shaking shoulder. "Then I would like to put forward a recommendation."

Louise raised a brow, looking between Neb, Siesta, and the fuming Guiche.

She smirked.

"Done."

 _Ch End._

 ** _(1) The Swahili version of Miss is same as the English._**

 **Well after consideration while I was writing this I've come up with an idea. Basically, if I get five reviews on each chapter I post of this before my main story is finished I'll write another one. If I get less than that just once then this will not be updated until my main story is finished and this one is voted the top priority.**

 **With that, I leave the fate of this story to you viewers. If you like this then please either vote on my profile or leave a review/favorite/follow.**

 **See ya next time!**


	4. Discovery

**Whelp, I said five reviews= 1 chapter and I got five reviews. So here we go with our next part where Siesta tries to settle down!**

 _Discovery_

Bedlam soon followed Louise's declaration, the crowd jeering and cheering in equal measure. Guiche attempted to argue the formalities of hiring a personal servant from the castle staff but a quick snarl from Neb sent him and his cohorts in the crowd scurrying.

While he was sure the fool would go through with his threat and get Siesta fired from the general staff, he was glad that Louise was sharp enough to catch onto his plan so quickly. Siesta had fainted after Louise had agreed to hire her though, so he followed Louise and Tabitha, with Siesta floating along in a levitation spell.

After they returned to their table, and Sylphid drove off any remaining onlookers, Tabitha pulled some herbs from her bag and waved them under Siesta's nose. The maid's face scrunched up before she slowly opened her eyes, not really sure where she was.

"Where am I?" She mumbled. "The last thing I remember was…"

She shot up, panic and fear stark on her face.

"Calm down maid." Louise commanded, taking a sip from her cup. "You're not out of a job yet. My familiar has put you forward as a personal servant candidate, but I have no idea what skills you possess, nor do I know the details of your contract with the Academy. While I agreed to hire you to spite that fop Guiche, I need to know more before I fully commit."

Siesta's face slowly settled down but the nervous energy around her was palpable.

"W-w-what would you like to k-k-know first?"

Louise sighed, may as well get the skills out of the way. "What are you usually assigned to do? What are you most proficient at?"

Siesta fidgeted in her seat, embarrassed. "I-I do most everything, m-milady. T-the only thing I-I'm not p-put on is s-stable duty. B-but I'd say I'm m-most proficient with c-cooking, cleaning, and l-laundry."

Louise nodded, rather impressed. Most servants were only proficient in one or two areas, but this maid was good enough to be trusted in almost everything, while being best at the three most demanded skill sets.

"Alright, and what's your current contract?"

Siesta looked away, embarrassed at Louise's impressed face. "I c-currently receive t-twenty silver a m-month milady. F-fifteen goes back to my f-family."

That number made Louise choke on her tea. Twenty silver a month?! The scullery maids at her estate made almost five times that and they didn't do anywhere near as much!

Even Tabitha seemed surprised. "…Poor deal."

Siesta didn't speak, too worried about her potential employer. Louise, after clearing her throat, smiled.

"Well how about this? In light of what you've told me, I'm willing to put you on a week-long trial. If you impress me enough, I'll not only hire you, but pay you ten gold a month, with bonuses for exemplary work. Do you agree to these terms?"

Siesta almost fainted again. That was fifty times what she'd been paid currently, and _bonuses?!_

"…Broke her."

Tabitha's bland statement sent Neb laughing and broke Siesta from her stupor. "Y-yes! I wholeheartedly accept your terms Lady Louise! I swear I'll do anything in my power to live up to your expectations!"

She tried to stand and bow but only succeeded in falling over. As she rubbed her sore behind, Neb had enough presence of mind to note the flash of interest in Louise's eyes and brief scent as Siesta picked herself up from what was an objectively compromising position.

 _So I was right. I did smell arousal last night, but who would have thought she preferred her own sex?_

He shook his main head, the other two keeping an eye out for any unwanted guests. "Excuse me Louise, but while this scene is quite hilarious, I have a question for you."

Louise looked away from Siesta trying to stammer an apology to regard Neb curiously. "And what's the question?"

"Why do the students call you 'Zero'?"

The atmosphere became choked, Louise's angry glare telling Neb that he needed to talk fast or lose another head. "I hear them whispering it, glancing at you as you walk by. The tone tells me it's not a compliment, but I'd rather hear the reason from the source."

Louise continued glaring, rage and bitterness burning in her eyes.

Tabitha saved Neb's head. "…Can't cast magic."

She turned to Louise. "…No offense."

Louise held her glare for another moment before letting it go, letting Siesta breathe again. "Yes, you heard her! I can't cast magic properly and every time I try it explodes. I'm the mage with a zero success rate, thus the moniker. Happy now?!"

Neb studied her curiously. Then, he began to laugh.

"What's so funny familiar?! Don't make me blow off your heads again!" She knew it was redundant but the threat made her feel better.

"You should have told me!" Neb finally exclaimed. "I may not be able to cast magic myself, but I'm as knowledgeable in all the schools as the Archmages! I'll gladly see if I can help!"

Silence reigned at his declaration, before Louise abruptly burst out laughing.

"You?! Know magic?! Ha! And I'm the queen of Rub Al Kali! No one can help me, the only reason I'm still here is because of you!"

Neb blinked. He hadn't seen mental trauma this deep since he'd been sent to fight in the Imperial Liberation almost one-hundred years ago.

Squires had it so hard.

While Louise continued to laugh herself hoarse, Neb turned his attention to Siesta and Tabitha. "Lady Tabitha, do you know where Louise's quarters are?"

Tabitha nodded; they shared the same floor.

"Then could you please escort Miss Siesta there while I try and sort this out? I fear it may be awhile."

Tabitha nodded and began to lead the concerned maid away, leaving Neb waiting for Louise to stop laughing.

Or breathing, whichever came first.

After a few minutes of Louise busting a gut, she finally calmed down. "Now that you're finished." Neb sighed. "We can get to business."

Louise was still chuckling and didn't answer.

"We'll be going to a large enough area to practice your magic safely, but considering what you yourself have told me, we'll have to go outside the Academy's walls in order to find enough space."

Louise still didn't answer, and he could see some mania developing in her eyes. He squashed it with a quick bop over the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Louise shrieked, glaring at Neb.

"To get you back to reality." He replied, his other head spitting out the stick it had used. "Now let's go, we need to get outside the walls."

He left then, all serpentine grace in a body far too bulky to compliment it. Louise followed after a moment of thought, screaming for him to wait for her, whilst simultaneously telling him that they couldn't exit the Academy anytime they pleased.

Neb didn't listen, barging through the front gates with Louise in hot pursuit. The guards did nothing, not wanting to try and tangle with a massive lizard and a mage known for her explosions, so Neb kept walking until he reached a large enough field.

Turning around, he smirked as Louise finally caught up. She was still panting hard, so he already knew one thing that they needed to work on.

"Alright Louise, first things first."

She looked to him after catching her breath a bit, suspicious.

"As I've since realized, there are things about how you do things here that I simply do not understand. But, since I wish to hear how our concepts of magic may differ, please explain to me how you understand magic."

Louise frowned, what right did he have to act like a teacher?

"I'm not asking to educate you, I'm asking you to educate me."

Louise still frowned but finally relented. "Very well, but I expect something out of this!"

Neb nodded and she began. "Magic is the source of a noble's power. We use our will to bend the elements to our will and use them for almost any purpose. The elements are split between five 'main' elements, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and the lost element Void. All mages have a base specialization in one of those first four elements, whilst Void belongs to the Founder Brimir alone. After his death the Void element was lost, and his descendants founded the current kingdoms and social systems."

Neb blinked. So only mages were nobles then? That was… rather significant. And only five elements? What about Light and Dark? Or Summoning and Travel?

Louise continued, ignoring Neb's confusion. "Mages have a number of uses for their abilities. Earth mages are mostly responsible for building and crops, Water mages are healers, Wind mages are messengers, and Fire mages are fighters. While those are only the basic roles, these abilities set them apart from the commoners and thus give them the right to rule. To summarize, magic is the mark of a noble and that which separates us from the rabble."

Louise finished her lecture with a smile, thinking Neb would be impressed. Instead, he looked nonplussed.

"Frankly speaking Louise, if it were like that where I'm from, a very large portion of our population would be considered nobility."

Louise blinked. Really? Nobles made up maybe fifteen percent of the population at best, from what she'd worked out over the years. At worst they were barely ten percent, so why did Neb's words worry her?

Neb explained. "Where I'm from most everything has access to some kind of magic, the only reason you don't see everyone become mages is because the level of ability varies so widely. Instead, nobility is defined as one in a high governmental position or as one with a vast fortune. Another way to reach nobility is valor in battle, and that goes across every government I know of."

Louise stood silent; that meant, by Neb's terms, she was nobility all along, but that just didn't apply here.

"Another thing I noticed was that your magic seems almost… constrained, yet broader than my own."

Louise frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Neb hummed before answering. "Where I'm from, there are five schools of magic: Travel, Destruction, Light, Dark, and Summoning. Travel spells are self-explanatory; they make travel easier. Destruction spells encompass every one of the elements you just spoke of and a few more. Light and Dark represent blessings and curses respectively, while Summoning uses nature and the arcane to its advantage."

Louise's frown deepened. She'd never heard of these 'schools' and while Destruction made sense, the others flew in the face of everything she'd been taught.

"I see you're having a hard time wrapping your head around it." Neb stated, drawing Louise's attention. "Allow me to try and place your spells then, cast a simple spell at that tree over there and I'll give you what I think."

Louise was still trying to process what he'd told her, but pulled out her wand anyway.

"Fireball!"

As expected, rather than an orb of fire, a large explosion turned the tree to sawdust.

Neb grinned.

"I think I have something for you, Louise. Try focusing on that tree right there, and think of it collapsing in on itself, like sucking the air out of a pastry. When you have that in mind, channel your magic and say 'Implosion'."

Louise narrowed her eyes. "That's no spell I've ever heard. What makes you think it will work?"

Neb grinned. "Just trust me; I think you'll like what you find."

Louise still glared but focused like instructed. She pictured the tree's stump collapsing inwards, like a pastry. Once the picture was in her head, she called forth her magic and held it there. She almost lost her concentration when she felt the magic rise; it was tame and docile for once. But she held her focus and pointed her wand at the tree, ending with a shout as her magic rushed forward.

"Implosion!"

The effect was immediate. A small sphere of darkness shot from her wand and slammed into the tree trunk. The moment it touched the tree, bark and wood alike began to crack and creak, almost as if it was being sucked into the sphere. Barely seconds later, the tree was uprooted and the entire tree was sucked into black sphere, before it finally collapsed and released its energy with a great explosion.

Louise, having watched the scene unfold hopefully, sighed. "See, what did I say? It always explodes."

Neb, rather than jeer like she thought he would, did his best to applaud.

"That was wonderful, Louise! Truly one of the most well-controlled Implosion spells I've ever witnessed! Why, we'll make you a master of Destructive magic yet!"

"B-but it exploded! That's what always happens!"

"Implosions always eventually explode, my friend! All you did was compress the tree into almost pure energy, but that has to go somewhere! Thus, an implosion leads to an explosion! At least, most of the time."

Louise narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'most of the time'?"

Neb shrugged. "Well sometimes the compression doesn't work all the way and you end up with a ball of mangled things. I saw one poor sap that got hit with one; he was little more than a pulpy mass afterwards."

Louise blanched, the mental image nearly making her sick. "Forget I said anything."

Neb ignored her, arguing amongst his heads whether they should see if Louise had any aptitude for the other schools. Eventually, after much debate, they decided to see if she had any training in other areas besides magic.

"So do you have any martial training, Louise? Or anything that has to do with herbs and alchemy?"

Louise blinked, having gone into a daze trying to figure out what Neb was arguing with himself about.

"I know basic fencing and my studies have given me quite a knowledge of herbs and alchemical components; why do you ask?"

Neb's heads all grinned in unison.

"Well then you'll need to go get a sword. I have an idea of what we can mold you into, something that no one will dare disparage, rather, they are universally praised and respected!"

Louise's frown morphed into a smile as Neb heaped praise on her, her chest puffing up in pride.

"But after you get that sword we'll need to really work you into shape! No one became good at something without work, and by Malassa, I will make you work!"

Louise's mood deflated at that, now nervous at the gleam in Neb's eyes.

All of them.

"But for now, go rest! You'll have to go get that sword in your free time, but tomorrow we start!"

Louise saw a way out. "I have classes tomorrow! I can't just skip them!"

"Then we'll work after classes! You'll earn your sleep!"

Louise struggled to find a rebuttal, anything from having to get sweaty and dirty. But after a few minutes of silence, she resigned herself to her fate.

"Very well, but I need at least one day off a week. I can't train nonstop."

Neb nodded, willing to concede that much. But, as they made their way back to the Academy, Neb was practically glowing.

 _At last,_ He thought, looking to Louise. _I can finally see the top of the ladder. My mission to collect languages and culture will have to be secondary for now, for I can see this girl rising to the highest peak_.

He practically preened at his next thought.

 _An Archon_.

 _Ch End._

 **For anyone who's wondering, an Archon is a made up ranking in terms of skills from the game where the Hero in question has reached expert level in all available skills. While this is impossible in game, the power of fanfiction lets me have Neb teach Louise all the skills he himself has learned under a variety of masters in his long life.**

 **The list of skills that follow are for the Dungeon town, where Neb is from.**

 **Elemental Chains**

 **Attack**

 **Dark Magic**

 **Defense**

 **Destruction Magic**

 **Enlightenment**

 **Leadership**

 **Light Magic**

 **Logistics**

 **Luck**

 **Sorcery**

 **Summoning Magic**

 **War Machines**

 **These all range from Basic to Expert with Elemental Chains going from basic to Ultimate. Louise herself will not reach the Expert levels in any of these for a** ** _long_** **time for even with her very serious work ethic she won't be on par with say Wardes or any of the experienced battle mages until well into what is third season and won't have anything resembling a chance again either Colbert, Joseph, or her mother until near the end of the fourth season.**

 **She's going to have to work for this people but just so everyone knows she will NOT be installed onto the Tristain throne, by choice or otherwise. The reason for this is that in the game you receive skills that either enhance the spells you have, give them a mass use effect, or both. If Louise was able to use both Mass Curse and Mass Haste then she'd be a physical goddess. Instead, the spells are only enhanced when she reaches a certain experience level, nothing more.**

 **Sorry for the long explanation but I felt that would help explain where I was going.**

 **Also, I've now posted a new story for a somewhat obscure franchise. If you're curious about the series or you enjoy my writing, give it a look!**

 **Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**


	5. Train Louise!

**My beta has exams this week so I'm going to make another chapter for this. For anyone interested, please check out my other two ongoing stories, you may just like them!**

 _Train Louise!_

The morning came all too soon for Louise.

"Excuse me milady, but Sir Neb has asked me to fetch you."

The muffled voice of Siesta filtered through the door, a gentle knocking waking her. She rose from her heavenly blanket and stretched, yawning as she tried to place the time.

"Say again." Louise ordered as she rubbed the crust from her eyes.

"Sir Neb has asked me to come fetch you milady, he said that he wanted to start 'practice' early today."

Louise groaned before finally looking out the window.

To see a still dark sky.

"He sent you to wake me before dawn! What's he thinking?"

She heard Siesta stumble away from the door, obviously afraid she'd upset Louise.

"Come on in Siesta, I'll need your help. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind alright, but I'm not mad at you."

She heard a quiet confirmation before Siesta entered. Louise was out of her bed by then and rummaging through her closet for her clothes but Siesta had to do her best not to blush at her near naked mistress. Those romance novels she'd been reading about the serving girl and the stern lady were making her fantasize.

Louise was soon ready, with help from Siesta, and was soon marching out to chew Neb out. Siesta had been tasked with washing the laundry since she was already up and was to find her an hour before classes started. She found Neb quickly, he wasn't really trying to hide and his size made it easy.

"What were you thinking you nitwit?! The sky has barely begun to light!"

Neb smiled as she arrived, eager to get started. "This is the perfect time to begin Louise! The air is cool and you have an abundance of energy from what I can see so why not start?"

Louise fumed. "And what would you have me start with?! We can't practice magic here!"

Neb's smile grew wider, his other heads chortling. "Not magic Louise, stamina."

Louise glared, what did he mean stamina? "I have quite the reserve of willpower, there's no need."

Neb chortled again. "If you think mana is going to get you out of a sticky situation you'll be severely disappointed, and dead. Now give me ten laps around this courtyard, all sprints if you can."

Louise gaped. "Ten laps? Are you mad?! It'll take me an hour just to do five!"

"And it'll be even longer if you don't start. I'm trying to help you Louise but mind and body must be one before I feel comfortable teaching you anything further. Besides, greater physical strength has shown to greatly increase one's magical reserves in addition to studying so hop to it!"

Louise grumbled but began to run. Her instructors had told her the same thing and all students were advised to follow some form of exercise regimen but few did.

Neb watched her as she ran around the courtyard, panting hard after only one and a half laps. Even the most basic of conscripts from the Empire were able to run at least ten of these without breathing heavy but he supposed living in the lap of luxury made one disdain physical work.

"Keep it up Louise!" He shouted as she began to slow down. "What's more satisfying? Stewing at your detractors or leaving them in the dust both magically and physically?!"

That seemed to light a fire under her feet. She sped back up and kept going as hard as she could before eventually collapsing a quarter of the way through her seventh lap.

Neb walked over and picked her up, careful to not tear her clothes. He carried her panting and sweaty form over to a large barrel of water Neb had set up earlier, but he held her back from dunking her head into it.

"Drink too much too fast and you'll send it right back up Louise." He chastised, glancing to small cups lying next to it.

She didn't respond, still trying to catch her breath.

"I have to say that you didn't do too bad. While most new recruits I've seen over the years were able to do about fifteen laps to your six, I thought you'd only do five."

Louise smiled, glad to have exceeded expectations. "Well, I'm glad you're satisfied. I could probably spread my bones over toast with how tired they are."

Neb grinned, glad to see she still had some spunk in her. That meant she could keep going.

"Well catch your breath and have some water. We still have a couple more exercises before I free you for class."

Louise, who'd been working on her second draught of water, choked in surprise. "You mean I'm not done? But classes start when the bell rings nine! I only have two and a half hours!"

Neb's smile was downright terrifying. "By the time we're where we should be, you'll be doing five times the work in half the time. Now come along, we still need to work your torso and core."

Louise looked around for anyway to escape her mad familiar, but one of his heads hooked her shirt on a spike and began to drag her along, kicking and screaming.

 _Two and a half hours later._

Louise walked to her class slowly, taking each step tenderly until she finally reached the proper room. The door was still open, thankfully, and she walked in to almost immediate silence. She ignored the stares and whispers that sprang up while she moved to her seat in the back, Siesta placing her materials on the desk for her.

She gave Siesta her thanks before dismissing her for now, asking her to wait outside in a whisper. The class continued to stare at her, but only two were willing to actually say or do something. Tabitha was the first, moving from her seat to take the one next to her, shrugging at a frustrated Kirche.

She got there first so Kirche would have to try again later.

"… No sleep?"

Louise groaned, she didn't want to deal with people right now.

"I don't see why it's any of your business, but my familiar insists that I build 'stamina'."

Tabitha nodded, hearing Louise mutter something about taskmasters and logs before going back to her reading.

The class was still staring at Louise and Tabitha when their teacher, a homely woman in purple robes, entered the room. "Good morning class!"

She was met with silence, the class still staring at Louise.

"I'm over here students. I'm not sure what it is about the two young ladies in the back that makes them so interesting but class is about to begin."

They finally turned their attention to her. She cleared her throat before beginning her lesson.

While Louise dutifully made notes she could feel her arms and legs shaking. Neb's idea of training was closer to torture in her opinion and she found it difficult to keep up with the lecture as her arms and hands cramped randomly. Tabitha took pity on her and helped her keep up, but she couldn't save Louise from what was next.

"Now as you know, Earth magic can also transmute elements depending on how strong the mage in question is."

She took out three small pieces of clay, placing them on the podium before muttering an incantation. The clay shook for a few seconds before hardening and taking on a golden luster.

"Is that gold Mrs. Chevreuse?!"

The teacher chuckled good-naturedly, turning to face a fat blonde boy. "No Sir Malicorne, this is but brass. Only square earth mages can transmute gold but I," She puffed her chest out a bit. "Am a triangle class."

While this disappointed the class, Chevreuse was looking around the room for any student not paying attention. After a moment, she found her target.

"Would you like to demonstrate Miss Valliere?"

Louise's head shot up from its position on her comfortable desk. She'd only lain down to rest for a moment but it had been longer than she thought. "O-of course instructor!"

Protestations immediately arose but Chevreuse quieted them with a quick spell, filling their mouths with clay. "Now it is quite rude to insult one of your own and I will have none of it. Please go ahead Miss Valliere, remember, it's Transmute: Brass."

Louise nodded and prepped herself, ignoring how everyone else took cover underneath their desks.

"Transmute: Brass!"

The three nuggets of clay that had been laid out just a moment ago began to glow and shake violently. After a moment, the magic couldn't be contained and exploded. The blast sent up a large cloud of smoke and actually blew several students to the back of the room. Chevreuse was unconscious from her close proximity to the blast so the class had free reign to fire every grievance and insult they had.

Louise stood there, stoic. It was just like always; every time she tried she failed. The insults were old and they rolled over her like water, her mind not even registering the words. She could hear Siesta enter the room and could even see Tabitha walking towards her but she didn't move.

She was just so numb to it all. 

_Neb_

The blast grabbed his attention, one of his heads zeroing in on the blast's direction. He had it stretch until it could see smoke coming from one of the Academy's rooms and could tell from the stench of sulfur it was probably an alchemy accident.

He brought the head back and turned his attention to the Academy's head chef.

"Do you mind writing that down?" 

_Louise_

After the room had been cleared the students were given the day off. As their earth magic lesson was all they had to worry about, many of them split off to enjoy themselves.

Except for Louise who was told to clean the mess and some surprise volunteers.

"I think that's everything." Siesta eventually said, looking over the room. While she wasn't allowed to help clean, academy rules, she acted as an overseer to help them be more efficient.

"I still don't understand why either of you volunteered, this is my mess." Louise mumbled, looking to the others.

"…Nothing to do." Tabitha answered, going back to reading.

"I may have other things to do but I'm not cruel." Kirche answered, giving Louise a kind smile.

Louise shuddered at it. She was so used to Kirche being her tormentor and rival, sneers and insults exchanged almost hourly. Seeing her with any form of actual _affection_ on her face was disturbing, if not outright sickening.

"Don't pretend to be my friend Zerbst." Louise hissed. "I haven't forgotten our families' feud nor have I forgotten your insults and transgressions against me. Stop the charade, it ill befits you."

She grabbed Siesta's arm and dragged her out of the room, intent on finding Neb.

Tabitha and Kirche stayed behind, one quiet and the other distraught.

"…Takes time."

Kirche looked at Tabitha with sad eyes. "I don't think she'd come around to even be friends in this lifetime or the next Tabby. What am I going to do?"

Tabitha had no answer to give, she had no experience in the matters of the heart so who was she to advise.

Kirche sighed. "I'll try and take my time Tabby, I will. But I'm starting to hate this age old feud more with each passing day."

She left then, regrets and what ifs floating through her mind.

What if their families didn't hate each other? Would they have been friends, playmates even? Why were they even holding a grudge over an event where those involved were almost four centuries buried?

Her next question made her pinch her nose in combined frustration and sadness.

Why did she have to fall in love with Louise? 

_Neb_

"Well I see you're in a fine mood this afternoon Louise."

His comment only made Louise growl, not in the mood to deal with his quips.

"Well that didn't work. Since I'm sure you'd rather deal with whatever's on your mind alone, I'll give you a quick outline of what I need you to work on next." He gestured to a small stack of parchment.

"These are logistics problems. I want you to come up with measures to balance everything in the most efficient and cost effective ways. I'll be reviewing your ideas and plans at the end of the week. I have other assignments that I wish for you to do but it's better to start out slow."

He didn't mention that he was still trying to learn all the intricacies of how the world worked. The head chef, Marteau he believed, and Colbert had been teaching him what they could.

"Umm… Lady Louise's class has been canceled and has the day off Sir Neb."

He blinked at that, looking to her with all his heads. "Well… that's convenient. I was going to recommend that you go get a sword to practice with when you had some free time."

Louise latched onto the idea, shopping for things would help her mood right? 

_Four hours later_

Neb perked up at the clopping of hooves coming from the main gates. He'd tried to strike up a conversation with the guards while he waited but they just stood there stiffly. Instead, he was having a very interesting conversation with a large mole about gems and their uses.

The bobbing pink hair gave her away. "Hello Louise! Did your trip go well?"

His answer was an object being launched at him, smacking his right head square between the eyes. While that head slumped into unconsciousness, Neb's other heads observed the object, the mole having fled.

It was a sword, she actually remembered! About three feet long, sturdy grip, decent sized hilt and pommel.

"Whoa, you're huge!"

And was enchanted at that.

"And who might you be?" Neb asked, noting an angry Louise and nervous Siesta.

"I'm Derflinger! And don't you forget it hydra!"

That made Neb blink. "You know what I am?"

"Of course! I slew my fair share of your kind long ago, but I thought they'd gone extinct!"

Neb nodded, at least he knew hydras used to exist here. "Tell me, where did Louise find you? Enchanted weaponry is rare even where I come from."

Louise chose then to cut in. "I found this hunk of junk in a blacksmith! I didn't have a lot of money so it was the only thing I could get!"

Neb chose to overlook the numerous packages being carried on both her and Siesta's horses and turned back to the sword. "Siesta? Do you mind pulling him out of the scabbard for me?"

The maid nodded and jumped off her horse, picking up and unsheathing Derflinger.

It was almost completely rusted.

"Well, looks like I get to teach you something a bit early Louise." He turned back to the fuming girl. "Weapon repair."

Louise gritted her teeth, trying to crush her anger but it finally exploded.

"I JUST WANTED TO HAVE ONE NORMAL DAY!"

Sadly, normalcy would elude Louise for the rest of her days. While an announcement the next day pushed the familiar exhibition back almost four months due to scheduling issues, making a thief and her employers extremely frustrated, Louise would be training for all of it.

When she wasn't in class, eating, sleeping, or doing homework, she was training. Neb slowly but surely increased her physical workload while adding on new tasks every other day from herbology and alchemy proficiency tests, courtesy of Colbert, to weapons training, strategy, and leadership.

In between these lessons he'd give Louise new spells and 'sorcery' exercises to work on. While she made quick work of the Destruction spells that he gave her, much to her chagrin, it took her a much greater effort to do any of the other spells. The exercises at least proved to be somewhat therapeutic, all she had to do was meditate.

One day, she finally asked him what all this was leading to.

"I aim to make you into a well rounded leader Louise."

She leaned her head to the side, curious.

"These skills were taught to every leader of my land. While most were only able to truly master a few of these skills, I see in you the ability to surpass that limit, to master all of them."

She blushed at the praise, still not used to receiving it. "But surely there were others far more talented then I. What makes me so special?"

Neb smiled. "You have the drive Louise. I will never sully the names of the great leaders of my land but they only possessed the drive to learn what they had to and use it. You… you want to learn _everything_ , I can see it in your eyes!"

Her blush deepened. "…Thanks Neb."

He chuckled. "No problem Louise, now then, Tabitha! Another round if you would!"

Another thing that had slowly changed during her training was her social life. Whilst she once had no friends, Siesta and Tabitha had eventually gained enough trust for Louise to count them as such. Kirche, bless her, had done all she could to try and get Louise to warm up to her but Louise's own pride and stubborn hold on the grudge limited progress.

Though, as Tabitha had to remind her, it was progress.

All the while, Neb sat back and taught. He learned all he could from Colbert and the staff about the world of Halkegenia and in his spare time studied the runes on his leg. Louise did not know, and truly, neither did Neb, how much would change when the day finally came.

The Familiar Exhibition, a day of pride and competition.

And the day Reconquista would begin to move in earnest.

 _Ch. End_

 **Well nothing really to say here. I apologize for a lack of Derflinger but I'm going to put more of him in next time, just have patience.**

 **Otherwise, hope you all enjoy the chapter!**


	6. Getting Ready

**Well I don't have anything else to do so here we go!**

 **Oh! Just so everyone knows, I will place bolded numbers next to statements or sentences when I feel they need further explanation. Please refer to the end of chapter notes for the explanations.**

 _Getting Ready_

"Spar!"

Louise rushed at her opponent, feinting to the right before slashing with her wooden sword.

Her opponent read the move and dodged, but missed as Louise jumped away from the follow-up thrust. The two circled each other before Louise jumped forward into a simple series of slashed and thrusts. Her opponent kept dodging the strikes though, almost bored by how predictable they were, and took a swing when the opening presented itself.

They hit air.

'What?' Was their only thought before the tip of Louise's blade drove into their side and sent them reeling.

"Stop! Point, Louise!"

Louise bent over, panting. "Geez Tabitha, don't let up or anything ok?"

Tabitha only shrugged before placing the practice blade on the rack. "…Good speed."

Neb agreed. "Indeed, I'd say you have the sword forms well in hand but you still have a ways to go before you've mastered the basics of attack. You're still behind on both your spear and axe forms and your footwork and positioning still need work."

Louise groaned. Axes were such barbaric weapons so she just didn't see why Neb insisted she learned to use them, not to mention they were really heavy.

"Well in any case, thank you for your time Tabitha. Louise needs to go over her logistics and herbs before we call it a day so we'll speak later. Come along Louise, Siesta's waiting."

He had one of his heads grab Louise by the cloak and drag her along, all the while ignoring her threats to blow off all his heads. Tabitha watched them go, a rare smile gracing her face.

The past few months had been quite enjoyable all things told. She'd been recruited by Neb to help Louise in a variety of offensive arts, if only as a moving target at times, and help her in studies that Neb assigned. He'd also gotten Siesta to join Louise as a logistics tutor and as an intermediary to the staff for what he called 'leadership' lessons.

But even then their magic lessons were kept secret from all but Colbert and Osmond, the two actually going with them once a week to observe something they were doing. No one knew what went on during these sessions but they always ended with a bang to say the least.

She freed herself from the wandering thoughts and went to find Sylphid. They needed to finish their maneuvers for the presentation next week after all.

 _Louise_

She sunk onto the bench, exhausted. It was dinner at last and Louise was practically ravenous from the day's exertions, so she asked Siesta to grab a full rack of pork rib, a salad, some peaches, and water before she slumped in her seat.

"Umm, milady. Sir Neb told me you need bread too, do you have any preferences?"

Louise groaned something about a loaf of wheat and Siesta was off, giving a short bow to Tabitha and Kirche as they walked by.

"So how goes the training?"

Kirche's voice elicited another groan from Louise. They'd patched over some of their issues over the last few months but Kirche still annoyed Louise to no end.

"I'll take that as a 'fine' then." Kirche stated, taking a seat across from Louise while Tabitha sat next to her.

Louise was silent as Kirche continued to talk, but she couldn't suppress a groan as her stomach made its demands. The other girls stared at her and she could feel her cheeks heat up.

"I knew the big lug was working you hard but to actually have a stomach make demands?"

Louise blushed harder. "It's not my fault I need energy to do all this."

Kirche laughed. She was honestly glad to see Louise doing so much better now, even though they entered the Academy as mutual enemies. It did help she held an honest crush on Louise and the training was actually helping Louise somewhat.

She'd grown an entire half inch!

Further conversation was halted when Siesta rolled a cart up to them. She'd grabbed everything Louise wanted and had even gotten food for Tabitha and Kirche!

"I thought I'd go ahead and retrieve your food Lady Tabitha, Lady Zerbst. It is Wednesday after all."

Louise was too busy drooling at the food to notice the importance of Siesta's words, but it didn't escape the others. Had they really been eating together long enough that Louise's personal handmaiden had memorized their eating patterns?

They shook their heads and gladly took the food before turning back to Louise.

Who'd already polished off the ribs and was halfway through her loaf of bread.

Kirche stared in open awe while Tabitha gave a low whistle, vaguely impressed. Louise paused in her feast to see her… friends? Their looks made her blush crimson and she tried to put her mask of decorum back in place, eating at a slower pace.

Kirche eventually spoke. "I knew you were hungry but I didn't think you'd eat an entire rack of ribs before we'd even turned around! What has Neb been doing to you?!"

Louise didn't answer, her hunger overriding any sense of propriety as she tore into her salad. Instead, Tabitha answered. "…Heavier workload recently."

Kirche's mouth formed an o. An answer that made sense _and_ more than two words from Tabitha? She'd have to check to make sure Flame wasn't spitting gold today.

Tabitha's eyes narrowed, reading Kirche's thought process well enough. She decided it wasn't worth it after a moment and went back to reading and eating. Kirche saw the stall in conversation for what it was and started on her own food, Siesta sighing behind them.

While the pay from her new job was absolutely _fantastic_ , her family had been able to expand the house, she did wonder what she did to deserve being around such eccentric people so often. Especially since it came with some extra responsibilities that she didn't believe were included in the contract.

 _Two months ago_

 _Siesta had just finished the day's laundry and was thinking on her new situation as she walked to her lady's room._

 _She'd passed the trial week with flying colors and began to work in earnest the very next day. While it was much less work in terms of the total number of things she needed to do, her quality always had to be top notch to satisfy Louise's standards and keep her job safe._

 _For some reason, Louise had decided to give her an advance payment just last week. She'd given some vague reasoning about paying Siesta so soon, but she didn't care. Holding more money in her hand than she ever thought possible nearly made Siesta cry and she swore to do her best from then on._

 _That had been their last real conversation in private as Louise had much to do and couldn't really speak to Siesta. Which made it all the stranger for Louise to have sent for her tonight. Siesta felt her mind begin to wander, thoughts turning toward what Louise could possibly want from her. Maybe she needed to have a quick discussion about Siesta's duties or she was going on a trip soon and needed to tell her._

 _'_ _Or.' Another part of her mind whispered. 'She's lonely and requires another's warmth, a woman's touch. She may even wish to tie you down and ravish you!'_

 _Siesta shook her head violently at such thoughts. She'd been reading too many of those romance novels and it was messing with her. She blinked when she realized she was already in front of Louise's door and nerves nearly overcame her before she steeled herself and knocked._

 _"_ _Milady? I have the laundry and have come to speak with you as asked."_

 _She heard nothing from the door until it opened a crack, a pink eye looking at her._

 _"_ _Oh, there you are Siesta. Come in."_

 _The door opened further and Siesta slipped in. The room was spotless as usual and Siesta began storing the laundry while Louise went back to her bed. She was looking at some parchment nearby while Siesta's head circulated just about every dirty thought in the book, waiting for Louise to speak._

 _"_ _I… need some help Siesta."_

 _The statement made Siesta blink. Louise was such a strong girl so any admission of weakness was almost unprecedented. "With what milady?"_

 _Louise blushed, embarrassed. "I'm… having trouble getting to sleep actually. I was wondering if you knew anything that could help."_

 _Siesta almost smiled, how inane. "Well I don't know if what I know can help milady but I have a few things I did for my younger siblings when they had a hard time sleeping. I know a couple lullabies and stories I can tell but it always seemed most effective when I slept with them."_

 _She clamped her hands over her mouth, embarrassed that she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "I-I'm so sorry milady! That was inappropriate of me."_

 _Louise, surprisingly, wasn't angry. If anything she seemed to be considering it!_

 _"_ _My elder sister would do that for me when I had trouble sleeping. We'll go ahead and try the other ideas before going that far ok?"_

 _Siesta nodded softly, still not sure where this was going. But she calmed herself and began to help Louise try and sleep. But the stories and songs didn't work, only serving to make Louise either laugh or smile not sleep._

 _Louise sighed. "I'm sorry to ask this of you Siesta but would you mind joining me tonight? It'll only be until I can get more of my sleeping draught so it should only be for one night."_

 _Siesta felt her face heat up but nodded. "As you wish milady."_

 _Louise fell back onto her bed with a sigh. "Go ahead and do whatever you need, I'll be here."_

 _Siesta nodded and almost fled the room. While her own room was on the ground floor, a formerly unused storage closet, she was desperate to not let her thoughts get the better of her. Entering and calming her racing heart, she grabbed her night wear and almost ran back to Louise's room._

 _"_ _I'm back milady." She whispered through the door, looking around for any eavesdroppers. She bolted into the room when the door opened. She changed into her night clothes as Louise looked away, gracious enough to give her some privacy._

 _After a few minutes, Siesta found herself in the most luxurious bed ever._

 _"_ _Thank you Siesta. I'm sorry to have sprung this on you so suddenly." Louise's voice carried over from beside her._

 _"_ _It's fine milady, I'm glad to help."_

 _They laid in silence for a couple minutes before Siesta heard Louise's breathing even out. Looks like this worked. She almost considered leaving then, but Louise's hand had grabbed a hold of her arm and she was trapped._

 _Siesta sighed, may as well get comfortable. "Goodnight milady."_

 _She shifted a bit before the comfort of the bed finally dragged her to sleep._

 _But, after what felt like too short a time, a noise woke her. Blinking blearily, Siesta tried to place the noise and soon realized it was Louise._

 _Apparently having a very dirty dream._

 _Siesta blushed as Louise's dream continued, little squeaks forming vague names. Siesta, Kirche, Tabitha, and someone named Anne._

 _Siesta felt_ very _awkward by now, trying to figure out what she should do with her mistress thrusting her hips into her back. She wasn't even sure when they'd changed positions! Eventually though, she resigned herself to what she needed to do._

 _She turned herself around and pulled Louise close, doing her best to ignore the giggles that came from the petite girl. Reaching down, Siesta began her work, sadly the only way this was going to end any time soon and give Siesta any measure of peace._

 _'_ _Well peace is relative.' She thought as Louise got louder. 'I'm certainly not getting any peace anytime soon.'_

And she hadn't really. Louise never woke up during that entire debacle and Siesta had left soon after to try and cool her head. She'd blushed hard when Louise saw her the next day, but was able to pass it off as just getting out of the bath, and Louise continued on none the wiser.

Though she had told Neb she'd never felt more rested, sending the great lizard into convulsions of laughter.

Siesta blinked away the memories to see Louise trying to get her attention. "I'm sorry milady, I spaced out. What do you need?"

Louise huffed a bit but continued. "Can you go find Neb for me? I need to talk with him about the Familiar Exhibition next week."

Siesta bowed. "Of course milady, he should be in the courtyard talking to Sir Colbert if I remember correctly."

She turned on her heel and walked out of the dining hall, glad no one noticed the light blush dusting her cheeks. While it was the only time she'd ever had to do something like that to someone, she wasn't opposed to doing it again.

Preferably while prepared and with the right mood.

Oh! And with that thing she'd hidden in her drawer!

 _Neb_

He sighed as he smelled Siesta approach. The girl needed to get a hold on her hormones or something was bound to give, whether it was her or Louise.

"What do you need Siesta?"

She stopped short, surprised to see him alone. "Lady Louise would like to talk to you Sir Neb, something about the Familiar Exhibition next week."

He nodded and began to walk, but decided to tease Siesta as she began to follow. "Do try and hold your excitement my friend, it's hard enough when Louise is with you and her friends and I don't need to get nose blind."

Siesta blushed hard. She forgot he had an amazing sense of smell.

"And don't think I can't see it either. Louise eyes you like a predator at times but I fear she's still in denial about it. You eye her too and it's nowhere near as subtle either."

Siesta actually stopped walking, nearly faint with all the blood in her skull.

Neb smiled, time for the kill. "She thinks I can't hear her either, but she daydreams when working on her assignments. Something about you, her, Tabitha, and Kirche all having _fun_ together."

That did it; Siesta fainted with Neb catching her before she hit the floor. "Oh Siesta, you are _far_ too easy to tease. I have no honest clue about what she daydreams about; all I know is she likes woman and is too stubborn to admit it!"

He chuckled and placed Siesta securely on his back before continuing on, catching Louise as she was leaving the dining hall.

"What did you do to her Neb?" Louise sighed.

Neb only chuckled, one of his heads in a staring contest with Tabitha and the other conversing with a newly arrived Flame.

Louise groaned but pushed on. "Anyway, do you have any special abilities I need to know about? Something to show off?"

Neb hummed, maybe he could do it now?

"Well I do have the ability to do impressions and I can even sing if I have enough heads to catch all the harmonies. Why do you ask?"

Louise almost started dancing. "That's great! We can't show off your regeneration but that's certainly unique!"

Neb preened at the praise, but he was saddened when he lost the staring contest.

"I hope you don't mind but who will I be performing for again? I've been rather distracted recently."

Louise paused before putting on a serious face. "We will be in front of the Princess of Tristain, Cardinal Mazarin of the Church, and Director Osmond. They will be the judges and any number of other nobles will likely arrive to watch as well, it's a great opportunity for students to get their names out there."

Neb nodded in understanding. That sounded like the war games and other contests the kingdoms back home put on for up and comers.

"Very well then Louise I have a piece that I believe will work well. However, I'll need another three heads."

Louise pinched her nose. "And how am I going to know you'll still be able to speak to me after this?"

Neb chuckled. "Don't worry Louise, it'll be fine."

She sighed. "Fine, but let's do this elsewhere, I'd rather not get blood all over the grass again."

And sure enough, ten minutes later they were now staring at a six headed Neb. He was trying to organize how all his heads and necks worked amongst each other so he asked to be left alone for a bit.

"And don't forget to practice you're spear forms! I'll be testing you tomorrow!"

Louise groaned, she thought him having to sort out three new heads would make him forget. "Let's get this over with then. Siesta? Do you have that book with the forms?"

Siesta nodded and they went to practice, leaving Neb to argue with himself.

The week would pass peacefully after that. It took Neb another day to finally organize himself and he disappeared for hours at a time to, as he put it, 'get his chords strumming.' That left Louise and friends to their own devices and Kirche finally joined Louise's training. She would shoot low power fireballs at Louise and she had to defend, either by dodging or blocking with a shield. Neb had said something about 'magical resistance' but he'd refused to elaborate until Louise could defend herself to his satisfaction.

She was given the day off before the Exhibition was to begin and she used it to the best of her abilities. A bath, fresh clothes, any jewelry she felt necessary, everything she and Siesta could think of were prepared well in advance, taking most of the day before Louise could find nothing else to do in terms of appearance.

So, she went and began beating on a training dummy.

"I know you're nervous girly but is this _really_ the best time to be working up a sweat?"

She ignored Derflinger's commentary and skewered the straw dummy with the spear, pulling the point out and giving it a hard hit with the shaft.

"Well I'll just sit here and talk to myself then. Though I have to say, this tower I'm leaned on feel's kind of weird compared to what I remember. It's almost like someone took some of the magic out of the stone or something."

Louise continued to ignore him and Derflinger kept rambling.

She'd regret not listening.

 _Ch End._

 **Well that's that. While there's no specific listings this time I will address a guest who's asked me something.**

 **Basically speaking, the time between Basic and Expert/Ultimate varies. In the game itself you can reach Expert in three levels but in this it takes seven months at least to reach the basic and anywhere from five to six years to reach an expert ranking. While Louise is special and will be able to reach the Expert levels much faster, it will still take her a couple of years to get there. As such, some of the events in this story will be a bit more spread out.**

 **Hope everyone enjoys the chapter and looks forward to more! Have a good day!**


	7. The Exhibition

**Another one? Let's see… Yep, five reviews, let's get to it then!**

The day of the Exhibition dawned on a nervous Academy.

For the past few years it was only royal representative that attended and made their reports along with other nobles wanting to watch but now…

Now, they had the Princess herself coming to watch.

Louise was pacing in her room, alone. The Princess wasn't scheduled to arrive for another three hours and the students were allowed out to practice soon. The only problem was she had no clue what Neb was doing!

A knock on her door brought her out of her brooding. "Who is it?"

"It's me milady. Sir Neb has asked you to meet him downstairs when convenient."

Louise threw the door open, startling Siesta. "Finally! Come along Siesta, I'll need you soon!"

Louise almost ran down the stairs but was just able to restrain herself, Siesta following behind at a more sedate pace. They exited the dorm tower and found Neb waiting for them, almost shaking in excitement.

"Glad you could join us today Louise! And a good morning to you as well Siesta!"

Louise nodded her greeting while Siesta smiled. "Good morning Sir Neb, what did you need Lady Louise for again?"

Neb started pacing, "I've finally got the idea down! It took me some practice to get those harmonies correct but I'm ready to go! All I need you to do is introduce me like we agreed and I'll wow them!"

Louise was starting to get excited too but she squashed it. "That's all fine and dandy Neb but don't you remember? We need you to stay out of sight when the princess arrives less we have the Cardinal jump to conclusions!"

Neb's heads drooped. He'd been present when royalty from other realms had come to visit his original home and it was always a spectacle to behold. Oh well, he could continue his talks with the mole about obsidian in the meantime.

"You don't need to be so sad Neb! It's only for the initial greeting and Principal Osmond has already told me he would explain your situation to the delegation when they arrive. Besides, staying out of sight doesn't mean you can't watch."

He perked right back up. "Good job Louise! You're learning!"

Louise blinked. "What?"

"You're learning to use loopholes and compliments to help those under you! Admittedly this is only one instance and you know me well, but it's progress none the less!"

Louise blushed. Neb was still so clever with his lessons and it seemed like she was part of one near every hour.

"This isn't the time for that! Look, the delegation is going to be here in less than three hours. I'm giving you two and a half hours to find a good spot to watch without drawing attention to yourself ok? They'll be coming in through the main gate."

Neb grinned, he could already think of a spot. "Very well then Louise, I'll see you at the Exhibition later today. Do try and control your nerves. I don't want you collapsing in a nervous pile before we blow them away!"

He stomped away, laughing at the unintentional jab. Louise fumed at him for a moment before sighing, it just wasn't worth it. "Come on Siesta, let's go get ready. It'll take us time to finish the preparations and I want us to look our best."

Siesta nodded and they went back into the tower, a list running through Siesta's mind the entire time.

Neb had already found his spot, a well-hidden corner where the wall met the stable and guardhouse, and was watching as other students went about getting in some last minute practice. Kirche was having Flame create shapes and words out of his fire breath while it looked like his mole friend was practicing poses. He didn't see Tabitha immediately but a quick glance to the sky found her and Sylphid working on acrobatics.

He sighed and settled in to wait. While he was superbly confident in his own ability to win this little contest hook line and sinker, he couldn't help but think on a warning Colbert had given him a few weeks ago.

 _He'd recently asked about how crime was handled in Halkegenia on a whim. While Colbert had given him a description of the rather draconian system, even by his world's standards, he'd also gotten dragged into the legend of Fouquet the Thief._

 _"_ _They're either a single thief or a group of thieves if rumors are to be believed. What is known is that they're likely a disgraced noble with a specialization in earth magic. Locks turned to dust, magic enchantments destroyed when the material changed to another element, barriers destroyed by turning their bracings to magnesium. It's incredibly varied."_

 _Neb nodded along, not really impressed. The assassins he'd worked with had overcome much longer odds with much less._

 _"_ _We even received a warning that Fouquet was going to try and rob the vault here at the Academy. Sir Osmond may have dismissed the idea, but I ask that you share anything you may hear pertaining to the thief with me as soon as you can."_

 _Neb nodded absently, one of his heads following a green haired woman as she walked towards the central tower. "I'll let you know if I hear anything Sir Colbert. For now though, I need to check on Louise. Have a good day."_

 _Neb left a curious Colbert behind but he needed to confirm his suspicions before saying anything._

 _It wasn't every day that someone smelled so strong of earth and worked as a secretary after all._

As he'd found out though, Miss Logueville was Osmond's personal secretary. Being so close to such a strong earth mage for even a short period of time had likely given her the stench of dirt. Even then, he tried to keep an eye on her and had even told Colbert to do the same.

Though the man's infatuation with the lovely secretary made that a tricky proposition to start with.

He sighed at his wondering thoughts and turned back to the courtyard in front of him. It seemed the delegation's time of arrival was near as the students were lining up in what he could only describe as a mob. Louise was easy to spot as she was toward the front with Siesta and they both looked about as fresh as they could be.

Was there something beyond simple appearances that made her worry so? He could only guess.

Trumpets sounded at the gate and Neb disappeared into his corner, all eyes trained on the incoming procession.

As the student body kneeled, four horse-mounted knights trotted into the Academy. They were in full plate with golden highlights on white horses and were soon followed by a carriage being pulled by _unicorns._

The carriage was further flanked by another four knights and a blonde woman carrying an odd weapon on her back along with a sword. Bringing up the rear were two knights astride Asha damned _griffins._

'When Louise said Princess I expected white horses, guards, maids and the like but _unicorns and griffins?_ Geez, she must really be something to have this around her.'

The procession continued forward, eventually stopping in front of the teaching staff. The crowd was thrumming with excitement, many eager to see the princess, but groaned when an old man in white and gold robes exited the carriage.

Neb snorted, that was obviously the Cardinal. It seemed priests of all kinds wore those robes, regardless of worlds.

The Cardinal kneeled next to the carriage and offered his hand. A white gloved hand took his and the crowd erupted into cheers as the Princess stepped into the light.

She wasn't that tall from what he could see, but she was obviously a beauty. One of his heads snaked closer for a better view and he almost whistled. Shoulder length magenta hair, larger than average bust, blue eyes, pretty face. Even her white dress and crown complimented her well.

The Princess waved to the crowd and walked to Osmond. They shared some words before her congregation followed the teaching staff back toward the central tower, the remaining guards breaking up the students.

Neb remained in his spot, keeping an eye on Louise as she conversed with Siesta, Tabitha, and Kirche. He couldn't leave his spot just yet, but he felt his heart stir when Louise caught the eye of the head watching her.

He grinned.

This was going to be _fun_.

 _Louise_

She didn't like that look on Neb's head, she really didn't. That look meant much insanity and general disregard for bodily limits or mental barriers, specifically hers!

It was concerning that she was getting used to it.

Pushing the thoughts away, she returned to the conversation. "I still can't believe the Princess would come to this herself. They've used representatives for years, so what could possibly pull her here?"

Tabitha didn't answer, wondering the same thing. Kirche answered instead. "If what I've heard is right then her mother is ill and she's been forced to rule in her stead. She may be here to scope out potential allies and enemies."

Louise glared but couldn't fault the reasoning. "I don't think it's that shady but it is weird that she would come here. But that's beside the point though; it's only an hour before the Exhibition starts and I need to get Neb."

She wished them luck, yes even Zerbst, and went on her way with Siesta. Kirche waited until Louise rounded a corner before letting out a great sigh.

"She wished me luck!"

Tabitha glanced at her animated friend and nodded. "…Progress."

Kirche was too giddy to care. "Maybe we have a chance after all! Maybe, maybe I can get her warmed up enough for her to actually trust me! Oh that would be grand!"

Tabitha yanked on Kirche's ear, calming her. "…Not place."

Kirche freed her ear before answering. "Alright, sheesh, can't let me live up to the moniker can you?"

Tabitha shook her head, a faint smirk hidden by her book. "…Let's go."

They left, one giddy at the future and the other feeling the first stirrings of happiness in a long time.

Louise, unaware of the conversation, was being interrogated by Neb.

"Come now Louise! Do you know the Princess or not? I'm not asking you to share your darkest fantasies with the class, but you obviously hold some kind of deep devotion to her!"

Louise wouldn't budge. "For the last time no! Me and my family are completely loyal to the crown so getting spruced up like this is only natural!"

Neb's eyes narrowed. "Siesta… go and get Louise's things ready for the Exhibition. You'll find us here in half an hour, understood?"

Siesta nodded reluctantly, this was likely to get… ugly.

Once Siesta was out of sight, Neb stretched his heads and completely encircled Louise.

"Neb! What is the meaning of this?!"

Neb didn't answer for a moment. "…You were trying to catch the Princess's eye Louise."

She froze, how did he know?

"You were smart to try and use your perfume to hide any natural scents but you used too little. The moment the Princess stepped out your adrenaline _surged_. Sweat, pheromones, I could smell it all the way over here. That's not the reaction one has to seeing a famous figure for the first time, that's the reaction of someone seeing a lover for the first time in an eternity."

Louise blushed, he was wrong about the… lover part but she'd been caught.

 _"_ You… can't speak of _anything_ I'm about to say understood? I refuse to tarnish her reputation by being associated with me until I can prove myself!"

Neb nodded, at least this wasn't going to involve a shouting match like he'd thought.

Louise took a deep breath before starting. "I… was Princess Henrietta's playmate when we were younger. Our families were very close politically and it was decided that I would make for a good playmate to the young Henrietta. We were fast friends and remained that way for almost five years before I was taken away, my lack of magical ability making the arrangement no longer ideal."

Neb hummed, well that put her anger into context at least. "She must have been a great friend to have inspired such loyalty."

Louise agreed. "Of course! She believed in me even after my lack of control made my own family give up, I swore to be her friend until my dying day before I stopped seeing her! It's just… I don't know if she even remembers me."

Her face fell and she felt tears prick at her eyes. A slight pressure on her shoulder showed a Neb head.

"If she is as you say then I think she remembers you. If anything, you may well be the reason she came for this event. It's important sure, but ultimately minor to the concerns of a monarch. You say that you trust her? Then trust that she remembers and still cares."

Louise was nearly crying. She just wasn't used to any kind of emotional reassurance, not after her family gave up on her and Cattleya fell ill. Two years of being able to remain on academic work alone and only a cold house to return to? It was almost too much.

"Louise, chin up. I can tell you're still not used to anyone supporting you but for now you need to be strong. We have a performance soon after all."

She nodded and was able to push her tears away. A small smile graced her face when she looked to the grinning hydra. But the moment soon came to an end.

"Lady Louise! Sir Neb! The Exhibition is going to start soon but the yard's clear for now!"

Siesta's voice drew them back to the present and they hurried across the field to an area behind the stage. A small area had been cordoned off for the students to have some privacy but Neb had to practically curl into a ball and roll to fit.

It was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Sorry Neb." Louise whispered. "Even though Principal Osmond's probably told the Princess and her retinue of your situation we don't know how the other nobles that came in over the last while will react."

Neb didn't answer, doing his best impression of an odd creature he'd met during a campaign near the Silver Cities.

"Well at least you're being quiet." Louise sighed. "Let's hope the Princess will allay any concerns when you get up there."

Neb didn't answer again and Louise left Siesta to watch him while she took her place in the audience. Students that were at least three spots behind the next presenter were allowed to watch but they had to make sure they knew the order or risk embarrassment.

Louise wasn't scheduled to go till the end, a consequence of Neb increasing her workout the day of sign-ups, and would have to make herself comfortable until Tabitha had gone. She settled into her seat and resigned herself to the wait as more and more students and nobles alike filled out the seats. She joined the cheer that erupted when the Princess and her retinue took their seats and soon after Colbert took the stage.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen!"

The crowd clapped excitedly, ready to see what the students had come up with.

"We are ready to begin this year's Familiar Exhibition! As always, please be courteous to those around you and please no jeering. You're all nobles and expected to act as such!"

Louise tuned out the rest of Colbert's introduction, instead looking through the crowd. She didn't recognize any of the nobles from outside the Academy but she did spot Tabitha and… Kirche.

She scrunched her nose in thought. Had she really gotten on such friendly terms to call Zerbst by her first name? When did that happen?

She almost missed Colbert's judge introductions before the Exhibition was underway. Nothing really interesting happened for the first few presenters, only Guiche had anything to look at with his mole and it drew all the attention, but Kirche's turn was the highlight when she came up.

Her salamander was able to create shapes and words out of its flames and it ended with well-shaped pentagram, drawing the most applause of the night. She'd grinned smugly but it wasn't directed at Louise, rather it was sent to the average mages that had gone before her.

After that it was another half-hour of just barely average performances before Tabitha went up. She already drew whispers from Sylphid's very presence but their act made the crowd quiet.

In the simplest term, it was a series of aerial acrobatics. They slashed, rolled, and twirled through the air, Tabitha launching herself from the back of Sylphid before being caught with pinpoint precision. Their final maneuver was to charge to the earth, pulling up at the last possible second to land gracefully on the stage.

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, Louise amongst the most enthusiastic. Tabitha took a bow and walked off the stage for the next poor sap to try and top it. Louise, knowing it was nearly her turn, left as discreetly as she could but ran into Tabitha behind the partition, face buried in a book like always.

"That was amazing Tabitha!"

Tabitha nodded her thanks. "…Easy"

"If that's what you call easy than I don't want to know what you call hard. Then again, you're not first in our year for nothing so I suppose it's not all that surprising."

Tabitha nodded again when another voice called for Louise. "Milady! Your turns soon and Sir Neb is asking for you!"

"Coming Siesta! I'll see you later Tabitha, hope you're ready to be blown away!"

She ran off to join Siesta and Tabitha watched her go. Her book had hidden the blush on her face rather well along with her smile. It was nice, seeing this Louise. She'd been nothing but hot-headed pride and venom for the two years she'd known her and the change, while rather sudden, was not unwelcome.

Kirche's voice drew her away from her thoughts and the two friends took their seats, eager to see what Louise and Neb had in store.

 _Neb_

"Are you ready Louise?"

She nodded, but nervous energy radiated from her.

"Don't worry Louise, I have this. Remember, I've walked you through this twice since last week and I'm all warmed up. We'll be fine."

Louise nodded again, a little better. She took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.

Polite applause greeted her and she swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking.

"Greetings. My name is Louise François de la Valliere and my familiar has the ability to imitate human music."

That sent murmurs through the crowd.

"It took me some time to find what I considered an appropriate number, but without further ado, I present my familiar Neb and our performance of 'Adoremus In Aeternum'" **(1)**

The crowd clapped politely, but many of those from outside the school could not hold in their gasps as Neb made his way onto the stage. Even the Princess, who'd already heard of Neb from Osmond, could not stop her mouth from opening in awe.

Osmond chuckled. "I told you he was large. But then again, I've had four months to get used to seeing him and his heads."

Princess and Cardinal nodded mutely, both awed. The Cardinal wondered at the choice of song though, since it was used in the church often but required both masculine and feminine ranges.

Neb cleared his throats and, at Louise's nod, began.

His heads played every melody to perfection, note and words clear as a bell and never out of rhythm. The voice was… hypnotic, drawing the ear of all in attendance and enrapturing them, bound to the beauty Neb had been collecting and refining for many years.

And the feminine part? That was provided by Louise herself, her higher refrains tickling the ear and making all her classmates shiver in surprise. Who knew she could sing so well?

After a few minutes of hypnotic song, their voices stilled and all was quiet.

Louise looked at Neb. Neb looked at Louise.

They took a bow and walked off the stage, awkward in the silence.

The moment the curtain closed behind them the crowd burst into cheers and applause. Kirche was almost hopping in her seat while Tabitha had a visible smile this time. Those that saw the smile fainted from shock but Tabitha simply did not care, going to find Louise with Kirche barely a step behind.

Louise and Neb were walking away from the stage, both too embarrassed to go face the crowd. While this wasn't unusual for Louise, Neb was oddly forlorn.

"What's wrong Neb?"

Louise's question brought him back. "Oh, nothing Louise, I just missed the last note is all and I'm ashamed of myself."

Louise was about to retort when a faint boom met their ears. "What was that?"

Neb snarled. "That came from the center tower. To think that thief would be so brazen."

Louise was confused but Neb had already sped off, not even trying to be subtle. "Wait! Neb!"

He ignored her, his feet thundering across the ground until he rounded the corner.

And caught sight of the single largest golem he'd ever seen.

It was slamming its great fists into the side of the tower and the spider web of cracks it left behind didn't inspire much confidence.

"You! Stop this instant or face me!"

The golem continued to pound away but he could see its master on its shoulder. "I'm talking to you mage! Cease or die!"

That got the mage's attention. "And what could you do lizard! You chose a poor time to come and now I have to stain the ground or my boss will get mad! Blame yourself!"

They gestured and the golem stopped pounding the wall. Instead it reared back and tried to pulp Neb, but he wasn't there. The golem, while large, was very slow, slower than the colossi of the wizards back home. This was going to be easy.

Neb lunged forward and sank his jaws into the golem's leg. Its master laughed, expecting Neb's teeth to shatter on impact, but the golem's leg cracked and fell apart. Neb pulled back as the golem started falling, grins on all but one of his heads, which held a chunk of stone. It crushed the stone between its jaws before Neb roared.

It was more screech than roar, but it succeeded in making the thief flinch. Neb lunged forward again and began to dig into every part of the golem he could grab.

'Damn it! That thing has a hell of a bite; I need to keep it distracted.'

The thief summoned numerous small golems while repairing any damage done to her large one. While Neb was distracted they turned back to the wall and began attacking again.

"Neb! What's going on!"

The thief groaned; another one. Things were bad enough with the wall taking more damage than anticipated along with the damn lizard now they had a pink blob challenging them.

"I don't have time for you girl! Begone!"

Spikes of earth sprung from the ground but Louise was able to avoid them, suddenly thankful for all the defense lessons Neb had given her recently. More spikes spawned and she had to keep hopping and rolling around just to keep her skin.

"Louise! Hit that golem with an implosion! It'll collapse it!"

She barely heard Neb through the blood pumping in her ears, but had enough presence of mind to try. Her wand flew to her hand and she fired.

"Implosion!"

The black sphere shot forward and slammed into what passed for the golem's face. The dirt and rock began to fall into the sphere and after another moment the head had been mostly sucked away.

"What the hell! What did you do you twerp!"

Louise didn't retort, dodging another spike instead. The sphere pulsated before it exploded, taking most of the golem… and the tower wall.

All activity stopped for a moment before the thief cackled and jumped inside, soon emerging with a long case. "Thanks for the help girly! Here, I'll even give you a present!"

Another gesture and the ground came alive with poorly constructed golems and the thief disappeared under the earth.

Neb gave a roar of anger and began to stampede through the golems, crushing them underfoot, biting them to dust and pulverizing with his tail until not one remained.

"Damn thief, that had to be the Fouquet Colbert told me about."

Louise almost fainted. "Fouquet?! Wait do you mean _the_ Fouquet, thief extraordinaire and square-class earth mage? _That Fouquet?!_ "

Neb nodded, anger fading as he began looking for any clues. Thieves were good when prepared but even the best left traces when panicked. While Louise descended into a gibbering pile, Neb looked through all the dirt and debris for anything that could help.

"My God Louise! Neb! What happened?"

Kirche and Tabitha came running up to the scene, both almost diving to Louise's side. "Louise! Answer me! What happened? Why's the ground all torn up? What happened to the tower?!"

Neb snarled. "Enough with the chain questions Kirche! I'll answer when I find something of our culprits."

Kirche wanted to yell at him but held her tongue, busying herself with helping Tabitha check Louise. Neb, after another sweep of the ground, struck gold.

As one head presented the single strand of hair for all to smell, a rolling, mirthless chuckle rumbled in his chest.

He had Fouquet's sent now, and that witch would burn for putting his charge in danger.

He'd make sure of it.

 _Ch. End_

 **(1): 'Adoremus In Aeternum' is a catholic chant used at mass. I thought it was the closest I could find to something acceptable to use in the FoZ universe and still match with the Elrath cathedral Neb was once trapped in.**

 **Well that was fun to write. Hope everyone enjoys like always.**

 **Also, to answer another question. The Ultimate section only applies to one thing and for Louise this is Elemental Chains. Elemental Chains basically means that Louise can fire a spell and have the target be incapable of resisting a portion of the magic if it can do so. Ultimate level means that 75% of any magic resistance her target has is flat out ignored, making her spells even more powerful.**

 **For example, if a gate was enchanted to withstand massive amounts of force then Louise's magic would ignore a certain percentage of that enchantment, starting from ten percent to seventy-five percent. This ultimately makes magical defenses useless against her unless there's a lot of them.**

 **Also the difference between basic and expert. A basic fireball for example would burn down a tree and a couple around it. An expert level fireball would erase a section of forest almost ten meters in diameter. This is just one spell of course and Louise will have others but that's the scaling.**

 **Last question I received. No, Neb won't have anything come from his world, as of yet. He is, at the end of the day, as simple hydra and has been able to survive his many years and wits and luck. For example, he crushed stone in his jaws but a black dragon, his superior by two tiers and their upgrades can crush titanium and slag granite with their fire.**

 **Hope this answers the questions and I hope everyone has a great day!**


	8. Finding Fouquet

**Well everyone, you know the drill! One chapter, fresh off the presses!**

 _Finding Fouquet_

Chaos reigned in the Academy for hours after Louise was found by Kirche and Tabitha.

The Academy's staff had made their way over to the central tower a few minutes after Fouquet escaped, the sounds of combat reaching them even across the campus. Colbert had begun to organize the staff into searching the area, cleaning the destruction, and taking stock of the vault.

Louise and friends were escorted back towards Principal Osmond's office at the elderly wizard's request while Neb had disappeared into the night, an idea already forming in his heads. Louise though, was still in shock. She'd done battle with a square class mage and _survived,_ something few could ever boast of and not be called delusional.

While all this was going on, Osmond was speaking with the royal delegation.

"You said this place was secure Osmond! Now there's been combat on the school grounds and the Princess's safety has been compromised!"

Osmond remained unfazed. "Cardinal Mazarin, please. We had little to no inkling that the Academy would be attacked and your inspectors gave us a glowing review just last week. We are in the process of investigating how the tower was breached in the first place but it concerns me that you place so little faith in the guards _you_ chose."

The Cardinal almost retorted when the Princess spoke. "Was no one harmed in the fighting Sir Osmond? I heard that a student and their familiar confronted the attacker."

Osmond smiled though it was hidden in his beard. "It's very kind of you to ask Your Highness, but yes. The student and their familiar are both unharmed and I will be speaking to them later tonight to try and ascertain the identity of our attacker and thief."

The Princess sighed in relief. "Good, I'm glad. We will leave you to your investigation Sir Osmond but I want a full report in my hands by this time next week. In the meantime, at both Cardinal Mazarin and my guard's request, I will return to the capital. Goodnight Sir Osmond."

She gave a short bow that Osmond returned before turning on her heel and leaving, the Cardinal close behind. Osmond watched them go until they were out of earshot, whereupon he sighed and began making way back to his office.

'The damage to the wall was extensive from what the preliminary inspection told me and even the wards were far weaker than normal. Such occurrences should only happen during a solar eclipse but no such thing has happened or been predicted to happen for centuries here. The great pile of rubble they found points to a strong earth mage causing the damage but the wards had to be an inside job.'

He stroked his beard as he levitated up the long stairs to his office. 'I'll need to see what Colbert turns up before anything, though I may need some volunteers to find our thief.'

He paused for a moment before sighing. 'Why do I feel like it'll be something shameful? Like the staff won't do it so I'll have to send students?"

 _Louise_

'I fought Fouquet. I fought _Fouquet. I fought Fouquet!'_

Louise's mind was still in a bit of a scramble from the events of the past thirty or so minutes so she could be forgiven for not realizing she'd been moved into Osmond's office. In fact, she was so immersed in her own little world it took Tabitha whacking Louise with her staff to snap Louise out of it.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Tabitha just waved her staff around her. "…Hysterical."

Louise wanted to retort but was cut off when Kirche enveloped her.

"Oh Louise I was so worried! When we came around the corner and you were surrounded by spikes… and you were g-gibbering… I-I was so _scared._ "

Kirche began balling, pressing Louise tightly to her bosom. While under normal circumstances Louise would have protested while secretly enjoying the feeling; right now Kirche was holding her so tight that Louise couldn't breathe.

"Mrgph ggrrlega jkenajnga!"

Louise tried to free herself by beating at Kirche's arms but the other girl refused to let go. Feeling her head starting to lighten and vision going black at the edges, Louise did what had to be done.

She licked.

"Ah!" Kirche yelped, letting go of Louise. "What was that?"

Louise coughed and hacked, trying to regain her breath. Instead Tabitha answered.

"…Couldn't breathe, too tight."

Kirche pouted. "I was just showing how concerned I was; doesn't everyone hug tight when they're scared?"

Tabitha shook her head, she wouldn't know.

Louise finally got her breath back. "That's only if they're trying to comfort someone Zerbst! You tried to suffocate me!"

Kirche kept pouting but Osmond entered the room and cut off any reply. "It's good to see you all unharmed ladies. But I must ask if any of you can tell me anything regarding the attack, whatever you can provide."

They were silent for a moment before Louise stepped forward. "I did battle with the attacker sir; I even helped destroy their golem with help from my familiar. The attacker claimed to be… Fouquet sir."

Osmond inhaled sharply. "Are you sure? Are you one hundred percent sure that the attacker called themselves Fouquet?"

Louise nodded shakily, still rattled from her first real fight. "I'm sure Principal Osmond, my familiar can vouch for me if necessary but I know what I heard."

Osmond stroked his beard, thinking hard. "Remain here Ms. Valliere; I'll need you to speak before the staff."

He turned to Tabitha and Kirche. "You two may remain if you wish but do not speak unless spoken to. We still have much to learn before anything happens."

The girls nodded and settled in to wait though one thought was constantly on Louise's mind.

'Where's Neb?'

 _Neb_

'The scent's gone.'

Neb growled, the trail had gone cold soon after exiting the Academy even after he'd found the exit hole that the thief had left behind. They must have gotten smart after escaping and covered their tracks but he knew one thing.

The thief hadn't been able to do this without a working knowledge of the Academy and the schedules of both teachers and guards. That put them somewhere near the top of the administration but not where anyone would normally work.

'And,' he thought smugly, 'they have green hair. Even in this world of odd hair colors green is odd to find so I think I have our thief. Now…'

He began to walk back to the Academy.

'Time to outwit the vixen.'

 _Louise_

The room had filled with staff to the point of over-crowding and Louise couldn't see over them or see Osmond himself anymore. They'd all given their testimonies and observations of what they had seen and were able to study, but now they were playing the blame game.

"Ms. Chevreuse was on vault duty tonight!" One of the professors yelled. "She was supposed to be guarding the tower vault from any and all intruders but she was at the exhibition!"

The woman visibly wilted at the accusation but Colbert stepped in. "And may I remind you Mr. Arnlst that you were supposed to be guarding the west wall where the thief tunneled through! All of us are to blame for this incident but arguing will get us nowhere."

Osmond huffed, he agreed but the faculty was far more concerned with their own reputations then actually doing anything. Entitled brats the lot of them.

"Ms. Logueville, you've been standing there for a while. Do you have anything to say?"

The staff and students turned to face the green-haired woman who wilted a bit at their gazes. "Umm, I was out on one of my strolls earlier tonight, since commoners can't go to the exhibition and all, and… well…"

She grew quiet as the stares around her intensified. Colbert, seeing her lose the courage she'd obviously built up, tried to encourage her. "It's ok Mrs. Logueville, take a deep breath."

She did and it looked like it helped. "I was walking near the west wall and I saw… someone just… pop out of the ground. They didn't notice, or at least I don't think they did, and took off towards the forest."

The staff began muttering but Osmond was pleased, this was a good lead. "Did you see anything else? Like if they were injured or wearing something?"

Logueville nodded. "They had a bit of a gimp from what I could tell and they took off towards an old hunting ground. If I was them I'd use the nearest hunting lodge to try and recover."

The room grew quiet. Osmond sighed, "Let me guess. None of you have any idea where one of those hunting lodges would be do you?"

Silence was his only answer. "I thought so. Ms. Logueville would you happen to know where one of these lodges is? If what you said is correct then it's likely the thief will rest in the closest one tonight before leaving tomorrow."

Logueville nodded. "Yes, the staff talks about one such lodge a little ways into the woods and I visited during one of my holidays. I'd be able to find it without too much trouble."

Osmond nodded. "Very well. Colbert, I want you to keep an eye on the vault until I can get all the wards and walls back in place. However, this leaves us with a dilemma. Who's going to go after this thief? The one that we believe is, from all the evidence gathered, Fouquet?"

None stepped forward, the staff not even having the dignity to look Osmond in the eye.

"Is that so? In our entire _illustrious_ staff there is not _one_ who is willing to track down and defeat one of the most wanted thieves in Halkegenia?"

Silence again.

Osmond pulled out his favorite pipe and began to smoke. "…Very well, I'll just go ahead and see if there are _any_ volunteers. Maybe the royal guards haven't left yet…"

"I volunteer Principal Osmond!"

All eyes turned to the corner of the room, where Louise had raised her wand as high as she could manage. "I volunteer to go with Mrs. Logueville and find the thief Fouquet!"

Silence met her declaration with all staring at her, dumbfounded. Even Tabitha and Kirche couldn't believe what Louise just said.

Osmond recovered first. All those years of life made him prepared for odd things after all. "Well… it looks like we have at least one volunteer. Any other takers?"

He cast a critical eye around the faculty but still none stepped forward.

"I volunteer as well Principal Osmond."

This time Kirche stepped forward, a smug grin on her face. "Can't let Louise have all the glory eh?"

Tabitha stepped forward as well. "…Me too."

The room was dead silent as three students proved braver than the entire faculty of a magic academy.

'How depressing.' Osmond thought with a sigh. "Very well then. Ms. Valliere, Ms. Zerbst, Ms. Tabitha, you will follow Ms. Logueville to find Fouquet the Thief before first light! Make all possible preparations before leaving. You are dismissed."

They nodded and left, bravado rolling off of Louise the whole time. Once the door closed, Osmond sighed.

"Shameful, absolutely shameful. The moment Colbert and I are unavailable we must rely on children to do the work for us! This will be going into your reports at the yearly review and I'm docking all salaries for the remainder of the year and I will suffer no arguments. Get out of my sight!"

Osmond's thunderous command sent the remainder away, professors scrambling over each other to escape his angered gaze. When the last one left Osmond puffed at his pipe.

"Get to the vault Colby; I'll be down there in a bit. I need to… unwind a bit."

Colbert nodded and exited, anger in his eyes.

Osmond sighed again, this was going to cause something to happen, he just knew it.

 _Neb_

'Well, well. It looks like Louise went from confident to a wreck even quicker than usual. It takes a workout session to do that normally. Wonder what happened?'

Neb stomped his way up to Louise only to see her being supported by a sheepish Kirche and blank faced Tabitha.

"Let me guess." He sighed, "She just did something off the top of her head and now she's regretting it."

They both nodded and Louise didn't have the energy to refute the claim.

"Well fill me in then, I'll help out like always."

They kept walking while Kirche told Neb everything that was going on, though she did embellish at points like she was prone to do.

"Alright, so let me make sure of something before we leave." Neb sighed, "We're going to be relying on this 'Ms. Logueville' to find our target right?"

They nodded.

"What's her hair color, if I may ask?

They shared curious looks before Tabitha answered. "…Green."

Neb cackled. "Perfect! Look, just follow her. I'll be following discreetly to help alright?"

Kirche didn't believe him. "You're huge Sir Neb, how are you going to be discreet in a _forest_?"

Louise, finally recovered, joined in. "Yeah! You're scales would clash with the greenery so much even a mole could find you. Besides, you're taller than most of the tress too."

All the Neb heads converged on Louise, smiling as she held her ground.

"You let me worry about that. Hydra's have lived underground for centuries after all and I've… learned a few things."

Neb cackled again as he stomped away, leaving Louise suspicious.

'He's been talking to Guiche's mole a lot recently if I remember right. Wait, could that mean…'

Louise shook her head, there was no way. "Let's go. We need to strategize or tomorrow may well be our last."

Tabitha nodded and followed along, all the while dragging a strangely stunned Kirche mumbling 'Last night?'

Though Tabitha did have to wonder.

Why was Ms. Logueville's hair so important?

 _Next Morning_

Louise and friends were up and by the gate before dawn, Flame the only one in visible attendance with Sylphid circling above.

"We didn't forget anything right?"

Kriche and Tabitha shook their heads. "…Very organized."

Louise blushed a bit, praise from Tabitha of all people. "Well I always preferred to keep things in order and all those logistics lessons Neb gave me have really reinforced it."

Tabitha nodded, going back to her reading. Kirche spoke next.

"And to think you had so many manuscripts! I'd almost call you a bibliophile if I didn't know any better."

Louise sighed. Whilst she'd realized that Kirche's teasing wasn't malicious anymore it still annoyed her. "Well excuse me for actually wanting to learn. In any case, is Ms. Logueville here yet? It's almost daybreak."

Tabitha pointed off to the side where Logueville was approaching with a horse and wagon. "Sorry to keep you waiting ladies, the old girl was a bit stubborn."

Louise huffed. "It's fine Ms. Logueville let's just get on the road. I'd prefer we find Fouquet before they get _too_ much rest."

The secretary nodded and hopped into the driver's seat while Louise and the others clambered into the wagon. Logueville gave a snap of the reins and they were away.

"I don't see your familiar Lady Valliere. Is he not joining us?"

Louise sighed as they ran over another bump. "He's too big and obvious to bring along, I told him to stay at the Academy until we return. Besides, Tabitha's familiar and Kirche's should be enough to deal with them."

Logueville nodded and turned back to the road, but Louise could feel the woman seethe. Curious.

They lapsed into silence and the sun began to climb in the sky. After a few hours of rolling through fields and eventually woods, Louise noticed something.

'We've had six divots in the ground following us for a while now. Fouquet may be tracking us.'

Louise sighed and stretched, that meant they were close. "Ms. Logueville, how long till we reach the lodge?"

The woman hummed. "I'd say another thirty minutes. We passed the sign a couple minutes ago so I suggest everyone gets ready."

That woke Kirche from a nap and made Tabitha look up from her book.

"Alright then. Since we'll likely have to fight Fouquet we'll need to have Tabitha in the air with Kirche providing support. I'll stay here with Flame and act as a distraction while Flame filches the staff. Ms. Logueville, please try and stay away from the battleground. As I understand it you can't use magic and that makes you a liability here."

Kirche chuckled. "Look at you Louise. Taking on the commander role so easily and with such smart moves. What else has that lizard been teaching you? Kama Sutra?"

Louise sputtered and almost began screaming at Kirche but reined herself in, if barely. "This is neither the time nor the place to be insinuating such things Kirche!"

Though that didn't stop her from whisper screaming.

Kirche chuckled but Tabitha intervened. "…Good plan."

Louise almost slumped over, thank Brimir for Tabitha. "Thanks, now call Sylphid down and get on, we'll be there before long."

They nodded and a few minutes later Kirche and Tabitha were airborne. They were still rather low in order to follow the wagon but they didn't have to wait long before seeing the lodge.

Actually, shack was a better description.

'This place has seen some better days.' Louise thought when the solitary building came into view. 'There're marks of other foundations but this place has been abandoned for a long time.'

She didn't see anyone on the clearing so she moved forward, careful for any traps. Flame walked just before her, nose firmly on the ground. Nothing tried to kill her as she walked though so she was able to reach the building's door without issue.

'Nothing so far.' She thought, giving a thumb up to Kirche and Tabitha. 'Let's take a look inside.'

She tested the door handle before opening it slowly, peeking in to see an empty room with a chest and a singular bed. 'Perfect , let's look in the chest first before checking under the bed.'

"Flame, watch the door." Louise whispered. Flame huffed but turned to face the outside.

She walked forward slowly and approached the chest. Not seeing any enchantments or wards on the chest, she undid the latch and opened it.

'Jackpot!'

A gilded case lay within the chest, odd runes and writings running its entire length. Louise reached in a gripped it before pulling slowly.

'This is too easy.' The thought made Louise narrow her eyes. 'Let's check inside, make sure it's still there.'

She flipped the case over, no easy feat since it was longer than she was tall, and opened it carefully.

She gasped when the famed Staff of Destruction revealed itself, still at rest in its case.

The staff itself was made of a black metal that Louise couldn't identify with a purple cloth grip just a little higher than half way up its base. The head of the staff was a detailed serpent's head with a pair of rubies for eyes and pearly white fangs holding a large purple orb in its mouth.

'It actually looks like Neb a little bit. I wonder if this is a hydra head?'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Flame began to growl from the door. "What is it Flame?"

Her answer came in the form of the roof being ripped off and a massive golem staring down at her.

Louise stared at the golem. The golem stared at Louise.

Louise gulped.

"Meep."

Flame had enough gumption to actually grab Louise and drag her and the Staff out of the shack before the golem smashed it into rubble and Louise was quick to recover.

"That's Fouquet's golem! Kirche! Tabitha! Destroy it!"

Fire rained from the sky and ice soon imbedded itself into the golem's hide as Kirche and Tabitha launched their assault. Flame got in on the action with his own fire but the attacks ultimately did superficial damage.

'This isn't good.' Louise thought. 'I only have a couple of implosions in me before I'm exhausted and the golem will just regenerate unless Fouquet goes down. This would be so much easier with Neb here…'

A candle lit over her head. 'Wait! He was supposed to be following us!'

She glanced around, avoiding one of the golem's clumsy strikes while she was at it, and finally saw the six divots.

'There you are.' She grinned.

"Neb! Find Fouquet and bring them here! I'll take care of this thing!"

The divots quivered before flowing back toward the forest.

'Alright, now I have to level this bastard before this can all end.'

She ran around the golem while avoiding its strikes, trying to puzzle out their way forward.

"Psst! Girly! Down here!"

Louise stopped short, barely avoiding another punch. "This isn't really the time Derf! Shut up if it's not important!"

'Maybe I need to pull out the meteor?' Louise thought before Derflinger spoke again.

"I just remembered! I can suck out magic if I hit it with my blade!"

Louise faltered and nearly face planted. "You don't think that was something extremely important! I should bury you!"

Derflinger laughed. "I just remembered girly, you can't blame me for forgetting such small details! Now pull me out and stab this stupid thing!"

Louise almost screamed but agreed they had to try. Pulling out Derflinger with ease born of months long practice, she charged the golem.

"What in Brimir's name are you doing?" Kirche screamed, trying to get Tabitha to dive in. "A sword can't do anything against that thing!"

Louise ignored her and folded herself around the golem's fist, dashing up to its leg before sinking Derflinger into the surprisingly soft earth. Derflinger let loose a hearty laugh and the golem, somehow, roared.

Then it began to crumble as Derflinger glowed.

"Haha! Told you girly! But geez this is some magic though, no wonder that Fouquet person was so important. They're a square class mage easy!"

Louise ignored Derflinger as she tried to keep herself away from the falling rubble. "Have you almost taken all the magic out yet!? If you don't I'll get crushed!"

Derflinger laughed again. "I'm almost done, just another ten seconds!"

Louise growled. "I don't have ten seconds! Can I pull out and let Tabitha or Kirche finish it!"

Derflinger hummed. "Yeah, you should be fine."

Louise groaned but pulled Derflinger out and ran from the golem. "Tabitha, Kirche! It's weak enough to take down now! Hit it with everything you have!"

"You're insane Louise, you're lucky I think that's hot. Come on Tabby let's do this, Fire Stream!"

Tabitha nodded and added another stream of icicles to Kirche's fire and within seconds the golem was rubble.

Tabitha ordered Sylphid to the ground and Louise slumped against a tree. That battle felt fast but the sun's position was obviously different. It'd taken a while.

"Hey Neb! Did you find our thief or did they get away?"

Kirche and Tabitha looked around in confusion before the earth in front of them burst open.

"I have her right here Louise! She was very compliant when I threatened to eat her!"

Louise, Kirche, and even Tabitha blinked. 'She?'

Neb pulled one of his heads out of the hole he'd come from to reveal Ms. Logueville, albeit in a cloak and different hairstyle.

"I present to you, Fouquet the Thief! Or as she's also known, Ms. Logueville."

As Louise and Kirche proceeded to lose their respective minds, Tabitha narrowed her eyes at the obviously scared thief.

'He threatened her with more than just death; a professional from the underworld would scoff at such things. But what?'

Neb for his part was staring in open awe at the strangely untouched Staff of Destruction.

"I don't believe it, Raelag's Staff. What could it possibly be doing here?"

That brought Louise back for a moment. "Raelag? Who's that?"

Neb shook his head, oddly reverent. "Raelag was my last master, dead for nearly a century."

He looked Louise dead in the eye.

"He was the one that set me free."

 _Ch. End_

 **Alright I feel that's a good place to stop for now. What's the story behind Raelag and Neb? What kind of threats did Neb use? I leave for you to guess for a while as I'll be on break since I have a vacation coming up along with school so I'm sorry if this isn't updated sometime soon.**

 **Hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Also, to the guest that asked. Dragons in the Heroes sense are demigods making them far tougher than even the eldest of Rhyme dragons. In fact, Black dragons, the ones from Neb's town, are flat out immune to magic of any sort. Also, to show the things Neb has fought over his long life, here's a list of Tier 7 creatures (ToE Expansion).**

 **Haven: Seraph**

 **Inferno: Archdemon**

 **Academy: Storm Titan**

 **Dungeon (Neb): Red Dragon**

 **Sylvan: Crystal Dragon**

 **Fortress: Lava Dragon**

 **Stronghold: Bloodeye Cyclops**

 **Each of these are powerful enough to take on a platoon of triangle class mages and walk away without a scratch while being able to fight against the combination of Colbert, Osmond, and Karin and** ** _survive if not kill one of them_** **.**

 **As for how durable hydras are, they can regenerate from anything short of total disintegration and one of their heads is immortal. They're also capable of regenerating heads that are cauterized as the flesh simply falls away before being replaced. Even then it takes vast damage to even pierce a hydra's scales as nothing short of a Griffon's beak can even scratch them. In terms of magic durability though it would take a triangle class wind lance to pierce his hide and even Karin would have to use several attacks to cause serious damage. However, the regeneration is not infinite as it requires energy to replace the lost tissues and create new heads so the greater the damage the more energy it takes. One of the strategies employed against armies using hydras was to hit the hydras hard and often so they'd exhaust their energy and die quickly.**

 **There's also another advantage for Neb, at least at first. No one knows just how far his regeneration goes so you'll have some that either bisect him or destroy all his heads or altogether leave some kind of corpse. He just comes back. While this advantage disappears after a while, Louise will be pretty powerful by then.**

 **Also, in regards to the Void, body enhancements, illusions, dispel and others will be given but they basically fall under the Light and Dark schools that Louise will be learning so that's already taken care of.**

 **To the most recent guest, the ordinary ones are most certainly out of luck. The others... not quite. When Louise reaches the ability level of Archon (not the Necropolis class) then she's the most powerful mage since Brimir but that's literally years in the future so she'll face adversity before then and even Neb can be outsmarted when his enemies have more information then him.**

 **If anyone has any questions just leave them in a review! I'll answer when I can!**

 **Bye!**


	9. Return

**I'm going to get back to this! My break was nice and refreshing so let's get back to it!**

"You were a slave?"

Louise's question broke Neb from his reverential stupor, the head holding Fouquet tightening its grip.

Neb faced the concerned girls, unusual bitterness in his eyes. "I have been a slave almost my entire life Louise. I was born scant years before my people were conquered by the damned elves and was sold to many masters, both cruel and kind."

His mind focused back on those years, both from learning under the tutelage of the kind masters and spying on the cruel ones. He was so engrossed that he didn't register the effect his words had on his audience.

"Elves!" Louise choked, trying not to scream. Tabitha and Kirche were in no better straights, but less from the fact that Neb had faced the greatest bogeymen in Halkegenia and lived. Rather, that he was under their yoke and had _learned from them!_

Neb focused back on the staff before speaking again, still oblivious to his audience. "Raelag was my final master. He'd killed my master before him in a duel of honor as he went about uniting the scattered tribes and saw enough in me to teach all he knew."

Neb reached down with another head and picked up the staff gently. "I was there through every campaign from then on. When he united the tribes I was by his side, when he brought an alliance of every faction in Asha to destroy Kha-Beleth I was there, when his heart was _shattered_ by the death of his love, I was there. When we charged the gates of Talonguard and slew Biara, avenging all she had done. I. Was. There!" **(1)**

He turned back to the girls, fire in his eyes. "I remained by him into his dying years, a demonic curse, cast upon him by Sareth **(2)** in madness, stealing him away. He freed me on his deathbed, thanking me for all I had done, and when he died I beheld the Faceless one. She is the one that gave me the mission to search for culture and collect it, to continue his dream of a unified world, and for a century I did just that."

He looked Louise dead in the eye. "Then I was summoned by you Louise. I had been trapped in a cathedral for five years, waiting for a time I could escape, when your magic called me forth. Then I arrived and was branded a familiar, enslaved once more."

Louise couldn't look him in the eye. They'd been taught for so long that familiars were to obey their masters without question, but Neb had always been special. Sentient, first and foremost, but also kind and patient enough to deal with her and her temper. He didn't deserve to be… enslaved.

The very word made bile rise in her throat, but Neb spoke again, "But I've been fortunate. From what I've learned of this place it is a show of your character to have not only refrained from treating me like a mindless beast but to treat me as a friend and mentor."

He tightened his grip on a squirming Fouquet. "Do try not to escape, I'm having a heart to heart at the moment and you're being quite rude."

Neb looked back to Louise, smiles on all his heads. "While I'll be the first to say you have a long way to go, it will be fascinating to see just how high you can reach. I hope we can continue as we are Louise, just as Raelag and I once were."

Louise felt the words nearly crush her as realization finally set in. Whilst they'd been together for over four months it had never truly occurred to her what his ramblings and stories during practice meant. He'd been in the service of and killed _elves_ , seen entire empires rise and fall before his very eyes, done battle with dragons, titans, _demons, and angels_ and _survived_.

To have a being with _centuries_ of experience call her friend was…

Unbelievable.

Kirche cleared her throat, shock buried for now. "While this is all well and good, we do have to get back to the Academy. It wouldn't do us any good to keep Principal Osmond worried no?"

Tabitha nodded. "…Destroyed wand?"

Neb's main head nodded, the others now restraining Fouquet completely. "Yes, though I'm going to need to speak with Sir Osmond when we arrive. I have some information he'd like to hear."

Before they set out though, Neb had one more thing for Louise.

"You're giving me his staff?"

Louise's question was not unwarranted. Neb had been very reverential to the last remaining memento of his old friend and she expected him to be beyond protective of it.

Neb laughed. "Were it anyone else I'd bite off their head. But I trust you Louise, and I believe that you can use the staff to the best of its abilities."

He hummed for a second before continuing, "Though don't try and use it in close combat. That metal is made to harmonize with and maximize magical output, not take hits. It would snap from hitting a log truth be told."

Louise felt her eye twitch but accepted the staff reverently, surprised at how natural it felt in her grip. "So I basically use this for long range and Derf for short range right?"

Neb nodded. "Yes, but we'll need you to keep practicing your forms, all of them, before we begin working with the staff. Raelag had almost three millennia to work with and improve the staff but that's all he worked with. I want you to be semi-proficient in most common weapons before deciding to specialize."

Louise groaned, and here she thought that particular torture was coming to an end.

"Hey! Louise, Neb! Let's get going!"

Kirche's shout got them back on track. "Go ahead and ride with them Louise, I'll be pulling Flame and Fouquet along with me."

Louise gave a firm nod and ran over to join Tabitha and Kirche on Sylphid, the group soon in the air and on their way. Neb, moving at a more sedate pace with another lizard and prisoner on him, spoke to the thief.

"Tell me more about your employer, Mathilda. I'd like to continue our conversation from earlier."

* * *

"You know Louise, you're really lucky."

Kirche's voice brought Louise out of a stupor. She'd felt exhaustion begin to creep in at the edges of her mind but she couldn't rest just yet, "Why do you say that?"

Kirche shrugged, "You go from a punchline to fighting a square class mage from one event. Do you really think that if it had been anything else but Neb you'd have even considered doing all this training or hiring a handmaid?"

Louise opened her mouth to retort but grew silent. She wanted to say that she'd do anything to improve, her pride demanded it, but she'd been so… obsessed with proving herself as a mage. Perhaps she would have just rubbed her summon in the face of the others, or just been so relieved she'd have ceased to care.

Who knew?

Kirche spoke again, "I just wanted to put that out there. We did just defeat a square class mage after all, admittedly with Neb's help, and have every reason to celebrate. Let's… just make sure we're thankful for all our fortune, both for Neb ending the fight before it began and your sword being able to freakin _drain magic_."

Louise gave a weary chuckle, feeling the exhaustion really hit her, "Thanks for the pep talk. Though, I'd never thought _you_ of all people would get sentimental. Is that runic name just… for… show?"

Louise's head lulled forward and came to rest on Tabitha's back, silencing Kirche's comeback. Tabitha, feeling Louise slump against her, had Sylphid slow down to a leisurely cruise so Louise wouldn't fall.

"So Tabby," Kirche spoke into the silence, "Do you think they'll have some kind of celebration when we get back?"

Tabitha shrugged, "… Don't know."

Kirche rolled her eyes but Tabitha spoke again, "…Why fortune?"

Kirche blinked before crossing her arms. "Louise… had it hard before you arrived Tabby. While everyone still jeered and insulted her, it was much tamer than when it all started. At first, it was small things, whispers, rumors, stuff like that."

Kirche cast a sad gaze at Louise before going on, "But, as time went by, I'd say a month after the semester started, the students got emboldened. They started being more vocal in their mocking and began to pull all kinds of nasty tricks on her. The faculty didn't do anything to help, heavens many of them were participants, but it was Louise's confrontational attitude that just made it so much worse."

Kirche gazed up at the wide blue sky, lost in the blue, "Then came the day. When I first called her Zero and started her true torment."

The day it happened had been like any other. The class had gone out to practice basic fire spells and everyone was excited save one, Louise. She'd already tried and failed at using wind, water, and earth spells, each one ending in an explosion and insults, so it had been her theoretical last chance.

Kirche, still in the throes of their blood feud, was looking forward to the lesson. She'd already shown herself to be adept at the basic spells and wanted to not only show Louise up, but beat her at what she thought was a shared element.

Then Louise went and caused another explosion, making her a total failure in the eyes of everyone to attend. They'd seen her fail to cast even the simplest spells of every school and in the moment after the blast, Kirche had a stroke of cruel genius.

And Louise the Zero was born.

She'd taken an almost savage glee in seeing Louise so vulnerable, so angry, so… broken. She'd even had the gall to write home about how she'd thoroughly humiliated a Valliere and the response had even congratulated her on doing it.

But the glee turned to horror just a week later when Louise didn't show up to classes for three days. Many thought she'd left the Academy, Kirche included, but she'd finally shown up.

Wrists and neck bandaged with Colbert accompanying her.

While Colbert had been able to convince everyone that Louise had suffered an accident in the library and her entire torso had bandages as well, Kirche figured out what really happened soon after.

The thought still made her sick.

Unfortunately she'd fallen into a state of self-imposed denial, refusing to believe that she'd driven someone to such lengths and continued her torment of Louise. It wasn't until Tabitha joined them at the beginning of the second semester that Kirche had been able to tame herself and pull back but it was too late.

The Academy already had the Louise they wanted, that wouldn't change short of Brimir himself reprimanding them.

Tabitha listened to the tale quietly, not speaking at first until she could gather her thoughts.

"And that's why I call her fortunate Tabby. She went from the very bottom, the very edge, to one of the most promising mages a centuries old creature has ever seen."

Tabitha looked back to her friend and Louise. "… Strong."

Kirche blinked. "Hmm?"

Tabitha smiled, nearly giving Kirche a heart attack. "…Louise is strong."

Kirche looked to the sleeping girl, "Of course she is; she took down a square class golem."

Tabitha gave her a withering stare, "…No. …Fell once… never again."

Kirche nodded, that made more sense. Louise seemed to be having a dream though, and it was a nightmare if the frown she wore was any indication.

Kirche reached forward and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, leaning Louise's head back into her bosom. Louise's frown became less severe but she was still fidgeting in Kirche's arms. Kirche didn't have any lullabies to try and help, her family just didn't believe in vocals.

Tabitha came to the rescue, humming a slow and calm tune that was just audible over the wind. Louise's face finally relaxed, a small smile blooming on her face while she snuggled further into Kirche's warm embrace.

She'd stay that way, held by one who loved her and sung to by one yet to understand, until they almost arrived, a storm of denials and teasing engulfing them before Neb turned up.

But for now, she absorbed the love she'd been missing since Cattleya had fallen ill.

* * *

"I see."

Neb was now considering the woman walking next to him, a pair of jaws ready to take her head at a moment's notice should she try to run. She'd given him her real name, Mathilda de Saxe-Gotha, after a good deal of persuasion and outright threats but now Neb found himself pondering.

She had good reason to do her stealing, at least better reason than most, but she'd tried to harm his master and friend, something he couldn't forgive.

"So your family was betrayed by the Albion nobility shortly before the current king took the throne. Most of them were killed with only you and one of your friends, Tiffania, surviving. In order to help Tiffania make ends meet as well as strike back at the nobles that had discarded you so callously you became an infamous thief. You then had your current employer approach you and threaten to have Tiffania killed in some way."

Mathilda nodded, "That is correct and near verbatim, you have quite a memory."

Neb snorted, "Don't try and compliment me, you're still a thief. Albeit one of the more sympathetic I've met. Though I must ask, why did you believe your employer? Did they have some proof that they could go through with the threat?"

She sighed, "Yes, they presented me with a token that only comes from the orphanage Tiffania runs. She gives them to the children as a kind of good luck charm but they always return them once they're grown and leave."

Neb would have pinched all his snouts if he could, now what? He needed to get all the information she had out of her but Colbert already told him that she'd face the death penalty and likely torture in addition.

He turned to his friend. "Flame, do you mind keeping an eye on her? If she tries to run, filet her."

The salamander croaked before waddling over and gripping her waist with his tail, careful of the flame.

"Don't worry about him," Neb drawled to the annoyed woman, "I just need to debate on something that could benefit us both."

He pulled his heads together and they began to argue, Tristanian, Germainian, and others she couldn't place flying between the heads at break neck speeds. She didn't plan on running, her wand was in pieces after all, but she really didn't want to see Colbert.

The man was so obvious in his affections it was downright charming and she feared the possible implications of what her worrying about it meant.

'Tiffania and her damn romance novels, why did she have to ask about getting a boyfriend before I left? It's going to make this so much more awkward.'

Neb was still arguing so she just looked around, humming a tune while waiting. She knew who Colbert was, anyone with an ear to the ground did really, but he just wasn't what she expected.

Rumors have him painted as a bloodthirsty soldier that burns entire villages? Goes about trying to make sure no one's being dumb with fire magic. Former comrades call him stoic and curt? Jolly to everyone and very excitable about history and alternate uses for fire magic.

Inhuman monster responsible for innumerable deaths? Kind and gentlemanly in a way that the great knights could only dream while being very careful not to cause undo harm.

It was quite the dichotomy but she found herself liking the laid back version far more than his legend.

Someone cleared their throat, drawing her gaze to the hydra, "What?"

Neb smiled, every head almost giddy, "We have a deal for you Mathilda de Saxe-Gotha."

She narrowed her eyes, "What is it?"

Neb got his central head right in her face, "You are important to this employer, they wouldn't have threatened you otherwise. While I can't guarantee that they will come back and free you from the Academy's prison, if you cooperate with me I will see your friend, her orphanage, and the children hidden away where they cannot find them."

Mathilda narrowed her eyes; it was too good to be true.

"I can see the doubt in your eyes. But I already have a plan, I just need your help and they'll never be touched again, even if I have to kill the killers."

He pulled his heads around and restrained her again before continuing, "You need not answer immediately. I'm a patient lizard and will allow you to come to that decision on your own, but know this,"

He looked her dead in the eyes, "Betray me and I will destroy you, so if you decide to aid me, you aid me. Try and trick me, and you'll see what my anger pays. Decide not to aid me, and I will still see your friend taken care of. But, if your employer springs you, I will kill you should we meet again and should they not you will face the death penalty."

He turned away, "Think about it, we have another hour till we arrive after all."

Mathilda would have scoffed if she could. He was giving her a choice between a maybe, a bluff, and one certainty.

That lizard thought he was clever but she knew the truth.

She was likely going to die soon.

* * *

Osmond was beyond impressed.

He was outright flabbergasted.

Three students and their familiars had taken on an infamous thief and not only won, but captured them!

He was disappointed, both in himself and his sources, to find that Mrs. Logueville was actually Fouquet hiding under their noses the entire time. But he was mostly proud, proud that three students from _his_ institution could accomplish what no others could and in such undesirable circumstances.

The three girls and their familiars stood before him, Fouquet guided away by a dower Colbert. The thief had said something to the man that Osmond hadn't heard, but Colbert had only shaken his head before they'd left the area.

But, there was still the matter of the Staff of Destruction, and Sir Neb's demand to let Louise keep it.

"… I don't understand why you wish for Lady Valliere to keep the staff Sir Neb. It is property of the crown after all and I'm sure they wouldn't allow someone to keep it by their lonesome."

Neb growled; agitated by the stone walling, "I want her to keep it yes, but you still haven't told me how it was found! The staff is my former master's memento and mark; I must know how it came here after his death!"

The sheer vehemence in the normally calm hydra made Osmond stroke his beard. It was quite the tale, but after what Neb had done for both Lady Valliere and the Academy he was owed that much.

But, that was all. The armor would be moved, just like planned.

"…Very well Sir Neb, I will tell you. Unfortunately, I'm only willing to tell you and Lady Valliere." He turned to Kirche and Tabitha, "I'm sorry Lady Zerbst, Lady Tabitha, but I must ask that you give us some privacy. I will call you over when I finish my tale and we'll finish up."

They gave curious glances to Neb and Louise before walking away, Osmond using a triangle-level wind spell to completely seal the area around them.

"We may speak freely now, no sound shall leave the dome until I dispel it. Now if you'll let me gather my thoughts for a moment; I'll begin"

Osmond saw their attention focused completely on him and he sighed. It wasn't fun to dredge up old memories.

"I'm the one who came into possession of the staff. Many years ago, when I was young and handsome, a large fire drake was chasing after me. It had destroyed my wand earlier when I had tried to fend it off from attacking a caravan I was traveling with and I had volunteered to be bait."

Louise was enraptured. It sounded like some of the tales she'd read about when she was younger.

"The beast was able to clip me with a blast of fire and I flew into a tree, stunned. I gained my mind back just in time to see it closing in on my neck, resignation going through my mind, before a blast of purple energy slammed into the beast."

Now Neb's eyes narrowed, glances and whispers being shared amongst his heads.

"The blast began to eat at the drake, skin, flesh, and bone melting away with frightening speed. The drake screeched in pain before a second blast met its head and it lay still. I was still barely lucid from the drake's earlier attack and my own impact, but I was able to find where the blast came from."

Osmond sighed, waiting for Neb's reaction, "But, I found only the staff itself, acrid purple smoke rising from the center jewel. I couldn't find any trace of an owner and, fearing what the staff held, took it with me and had it sealed away in the Academy's vault."

Osmond looked to Neb, holding his gaze while the hydra considered the story.

Louise spoke first, "Wait, you mean to tell me that this staff can… dissolve things?"

Osmond nodded, "Yes, that's why it was called the Staff of Destruction. Until we sealed it away it would fire those purple blasts and anything hit would dissolve. The only exceptions were objects enchanted by line class enforcements, obsidian, and onyx. Why this was, we do not know, but better safe than sorry."

Neb stomped the ground, shaking Louise and Osmond, "Malassa."

Osmond blinked, he'd never heard that name, "Who's Malassa Sir Neb?"

Neb sighed, looking to both Osmond and Louise. "Malassa is the Dragon God of Darkness and my patron. She is also known as the Faceless One and Holder of Secrets. Raelag was one of her earliest adopters after the original worshipers, the Faceless, were nearly wiped out."

Louise almost exploded, "You speak blasphemy Neb! Brimir is the only God in this world, not some false idol the elves may have forced on you!"

Neb's every head swarmed around her, "Not your elves! Raelag was an elf himself and I've met Malassa herself! You have not stared into such pure darkness and had it _speak_ to you, have not felt the _presence_ of one that predates life itself. I am not of your world Louise, how else would I know magic so different from yours? How would I know that there stands but one moon in the sky? How would I even _speak?_ "

Louise refused to back down, glaring back with equal force. "Brimir is still the only God in this world! The one you call Malassa has no power here, and you would do well to remember that snake!"

Louise covered her mouth the moment her final word slipped out, almost trying to seal it back in. Neb reeled back from Louise, wide eyed.

"I… I'm sorry Neb, I didn't mean-"

Neb's tail slammed in front of her, making Louise jump.

"Do not speak to me fledgling. Sir Osmond, thank you for your tale, I wish to be by myself if you don't mind."

Osmond glanced between master and familiar before sighing and removing the barrier. Neb had one of his heads rip the staff out of Louise's hands before storming away, anger palpable.

Osmond sighed, time for a lesson. "I do not know why 'snake' is such a grave insult to Sir Neb, but you must understand Lady Valliere. It is one thing to follow Founderism here in Halkegenia but Sir Neb comes from somewhere vastly different than our own. In addition to this, you likely insulted his friend's memory as well as a powerful entity that gave him a purpose. While I doubt Sir Neb is such a petty person as to hold this against you for long, it will take a considerable act of humility and apology to repair his trust. Even then it may not be enough."

Louise almost couldn't hear him, shame clouding her mind. One of Neb's stories had explained to her that hydra's were a very proud and close-knit species. When the elves had conquered them, they attempted to break their spirits by not only physical and emotional pain, but also refusing to even use their names.

They didn't even deign to call them lizards, only snakes. The years of being called such had led to an intense hatred of the very word among hydras, eventually becoming the gravest insult a hydra could receive from others. Neb's honor likely demanded he kill Louise, but he wouldn't.

Neb was far too rational to believe it would solve anything.

Or at least... she hoped he was.

Kirche and Tabitha, having seen Neb storm away, finally reached Louise. Concern shown bright on both their faces, yes even Tabitha, but Louise just walked away.

They needed to fix this now, before either of them had a chance to make this worse.

* * *

"Sir Neb? Are you alright?"

Siesta's concern was not unfounded as Neb had been destroying a large amount of training dummies for the last few minutes. He'd even buried his heads in the ground, brought up large rocks, and turned them to rubble in his jaws.

She didn't get an answer from him, but her gut was telling her it had something to do with Louise. Louise, even after the long months of lessons with Neb, still had a very volatile temper and was known to say things in the heat of the moment.

'I really hope she didn't call him the s-word, it'll take a lot of work to get him back if she did.'

Siesta's thoughts were sadly confirmed when Louise came into sight, Neb spinning around with a snarl.

"Well if it isn't the fledgling that called me an elf-loving, dragon worshipping, belly crawler!"

Siesta sighed, oh boy.

Louise responded, voice firm but quiet. "I didn't call you that."

Neb barked a laugh, "Not in those words, no. But you implied it and believed it; I could see it in your eyes!"

Louise flinched but Siesta could tell she was holding back her temper.

Neb wasn't done, "I called you friend! I was willing to entrust the last earthly remainder of my former master to you! But the moment I show even a _hint_ of disagreement, when my views on greater powers did not coincide, you disparage their names and insult me! Were I not bound you would be dead!"

Siesta could feel the tension in the air. Neb's righteous anger and Louise's silence made Siesta speak, her old role as peacekeeper rising up.

"Sir Neb, I don't doubt that you are correct in your anger, but milady-"

Neb's heads snapped to Siesta, "Do not apologize for her Siesta; I want the words from her own mouth!"

Siesta's mouth clamped shut and she glanced between Louise and Neb. Louise was still silent, but Siesta could tell she was wrestling with herself. Neb may see her every day, but only Siesta saw her when she was unguarded and even then rarely.

Louise finally spoke, "I'm… sor…sor…"

Neb pushed his heads forward, 'ears' perked.

Louise reddened, teeth grinding together. "I'm… sorry… I… beg.. for your… gracious… for…giveness."

Neb grinned, "Louder."

Louise's eyes twitched. "I'm… sorry."

Neb closed his ears, ready for the explosion, "Louder!"

Louise did not disappoint.

"I'M SORRY OK! I OPENED MY BIG MOUTH AND SAID SOMETHING THAT NO ONE SHOULD SAY, NOT TO YOU OR YOUR FRIEND OR YOUR PATRON!"

She growled before continuing, "AND WHO ARE YOU TO ACT SO HIGH AND MIGHTY! I SHOULD BE INSULTED THAT YOU WOULD DISMISS MY RELIGION! AS YOU SAID, THIS ISN'T YOUR LAND, YOUR VIEWS ON IT'S BELIEFS HAVE NO MEANING!"

Louise panted, she hadn't screamed in a while, while Neb only stared.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Louise glared, "You son of a troll. You weren't insulted at all."

Neb shook his main head, the other heads going back to biting dummies. "Oh no, I was and still am insulted. I just cooled down a bit before you got here."

He did bow his head though, voice begrudging. "…And I want to apologize as well. I shouldn't have gotten so upset when you only spoke the truth. Malassa has no power here, I may still be upset about it, but I can respect it."

Louise held her glare for another moment before sighing. "Fine, geez, just so long as we're not at odds. And there's even a crack in that perfect veneer of yours."

Neb blinked, "Oh, yes I suppose I've been going about trying to be the cure-all huh?"

Louise nodded, "And don't think Principal Osmond has been too happy about it. He doesn't really like you influencing me so much since I'm a Duke's daughter and all."

Neb shook his head, "I have far more to learn about this world than I thought. Thank you for giving me a scolding Louise… I guess I felt entitled since I've been around so much longer."

Louise laughed, "Don't worry about it! Why do you think I'm here? I'll poke a hole in you every time you start going 'I'm perfect' on us. Right Siesta?"

Siesta giggled, "Yes, I'll let him know when he's being full of himself."

Neb sighed, "And thus I move down the totem pole, oh well. Oh, and Louise?"

Louise tilted her head, curious. "What?"

Neb smiled, "I'm doubling you're workload."

Louise gaped, "That's petty you son of a troll! I demand an extra day off for this!"

She made her point by blowing off his leg this time.

Neb fell forward in an undignified heap. "G-geez Louise, it was a joke!"

She pointed her wand at another leg.

"Alright, fine! You can have two days off!"

Louise smirked before putting her wand away, walking over to Siesta.

"Um, Sir Neb?" Siesta questioned, making Neb's heads focus on her. "Would you be kind enough not to work her _too_ hard during the days she has? I… kind of need her patronage."

Siesta sighed in relief when Neb gave a negative but clammed up when Louise turned to her. Louise smirked though, "I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me Siesta, and here I thought we were friends."

Siesta babbled something incomprehensible before Louise laughed. "I'm just teasing Siesta, no need to get in a twist. I know you care."

Siesta blushed, "That's not nice milady."

Louise laughed again, feeling much better than she had after leaving Osmond. "Oh, it's all in good fun Siesta. Now, if you could accompany me to meet Principal Osmond, he said something about a celebration before Neb and I got into that scuffle."

Louise skipped away, happy to have finally humbled Neb and learned more about him in the process. He may be a creature with centuries of experience...

But he could still be an ass, just like everyone else.

Siesta smiled before following along, falling into step just behind Louise as Kirche and Tabitha joined them shortly thereafter. Neb was left to stew in his embarrassment, wondering if his father would have taken his tail or his crest for being such a know it all.

* * *

Osmond wasn't kidding when he said the Academy would celebrate.

The finest decorations had been laid out for the occasion and Chef Marteau was given the finest ingredients to make his best dishes. The students had been asked to arrive in their greatest finery and dance or eat the night away.

With Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche being the belles of the ball naturally.

Louise was dressed in a white ball gown with pink embroidery running along the seams with white arm length gloves. Her neck had a gold choker with three blue jewels worked into the medal with three gold pieces stitched into the bodice of the gown. Completing the look, Louise had Siesta tie her hair into a ponytail with a pair of cerulean earing and a gold hair piece with more blue jewels held her hair together.

But, she blended into the gathering and disappeared after a time. Tabitha, dressed in a similar ensemble to Louise minus the jewelry and in a deep blue with gold, found her on a balcony.

"…Not fun?"

Louise sighed, looking at the twin moons instead of Tabitha, "I'm… just not used to being the center of attention for positive reasons is all. I had boys that would insult me constantly try and ask me for a dance and girls were trying to butter me up."

She sunk onto the railing with a sigh, "It's exhausting."

Tabitha walked up beside her, looking to the moons as well. "…Didn't answer."

Louise smirked, "It's a ball Tabitha; of course it's fun. I just… don't feel like dancing is all."

Tabitha looked at her, stare more intense than usual, "…Kirche… wants to."

Louise rolled her eyes, "Of course Kirche wants to dance, she loves being the center of attention."

Louise looked at Tabitha but was struck by the smile on her face. "Kirche… not Zerbst."

Louise flushed scarlet, "T-that's only because she helped beat Fouquet!"

Tabitha gave a knowing look before turning away. Louise stewed on the comment before a light tap met her shoulder. It was Neb.

"First and foremost, you both look fabulous tonight. Second, why don't you dance with Tabitha, Louise?"

The two exchanged looks, not sure what Neb was going for.

"…Sure." Tabitha answered.

"…If Tabitha's ok with it." Louise answered as well, "But who does the asking?"

Neb cast a look at Tabitha, making her sigh. "… I'll do it."

Louise blinked, preparing herself to witness a miracle.

"…Would you… care to dance… Lady Louise?"

Louise smiled and took the offered hand, "Of course."

They left the balcony and re-entered the floor, leaving a satisfied Neb. "I don't think Tabitha will be able to stand more than one dance, you'll have your chance Kirche."

The girl in question came from behind a pillar she'd been standing behind. With a black, backless dress tied around her neck with a plunging neckline and high thigh slits, she was showing plenty of skin. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun while still hiding her right eye while a tiara and silver rings held her hair in place. Finally, she wore thigh length stockings with black heels and a single rose clipped to her waist.

"Your sense of smell never ceases to amaze me." Kirche muttered, giving Neb a flat look when he grinned.

"Well _I_ am amazed the boys are not serving you hand and foot. Actually, I don't think you've danced tonight either have you?"

Kirche scoffed, "Please, I don't want to share my first independent dance with some desperate boy trying to bed me. I'd rather it be with someone important."

Neb smiled, "I'm assuming you're talking about Louise. Just, go easy on her ok? She's still not ready to be approached in anything resembling an amorous manner, least of all from another girl. I've been trying to push her a bit, but you have to give her time."

Kirche rolled her eyes, "I know Neb, it's not like I'm going to rip off her dress and take her before God and country. I won't even make her tango, just a nice waltz."

Neb chuckled as he tried to imagine the reaction to that. "Well I think that's Tabitha calling it quits," He nodded to the dance floor where Tabitha was leading Louise off, "Go get her."

Kirche smiled before bounding into the hall, grabbing Louise and pulling her into a dance. Neb could vaguely hear Louise protesting for a few moments before they settled into a simple waltz. Louise, being about heart height with Kirche, was obviously enjoying the view.

Neb chuckled before something came to his attention, pulling his main head back to the body. Another head came forward and he smirked.

"Let's hear it."

The other head smiled.

"It's a complete success."

And spoke in a perfect imitation of Fouquet.

 _Ch End._

 **1.** **While in the events of the game itself Raelag had left to find the demonic child of his 'dead' love, in this he charged the capital of the Holy Griffin Empire before leaving.**

 **2.** **Sareth is the Demonic Messiah and the child Raelag was searching for.**

 **Behold! My largest chapter on this story yet! My longest chapter period belongs to Ch. 20 of my other story but I thought this one turned out well!**

 **Now, I have a question for you all.**

 **Who should Louise be with first?**

 **By this, I mean of the confirmed harem members (Kirche, Tabitha, Siesta, and Henrietta) who should take Louise's virginity? Please leave your vote in a review or PM as I will not create a poll on it since my current one is of greater importance.**

 **While I'm still debating heavily whether I should upgrade this fic to an M rating so I can write the more sexually explicit scenes that I'd just hint at otherwise, I'm just not confident that I'll be able to write the scenes well.**

 **Rolling into that, I'm also in the market for a beta reader! If anyone's interested, please PM me with what you can do and how you believe you can help with the story. Expectations include being able to find and correct grammar, spelling, continuity errors, and reachability. I don't want someone that leaves Fanfiction for months on end when I'm counting on them to help out.**

 **Outside of that, I'm pretty lax. I may not be able to write all the time but I do check my email regularly and respond quickly.**

 **Lastly, to the guest with all the questions (that's a good thing!); first the idea of flaming swords and energy slices will not exist for Louise. While the idea is useful and cool, Derflinger can and will suck all magic he touches, even the one Louise tries to cover him with. This isn't due to maliciousness; it's just how he works.**

 **Second, Louise will come up with her own original versions of the spells she learns. An example of this for later is when she mixes the spells Implosion and Explosion. I'll leave what happens to your imagination.**

 **Well that's everything! Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**


	10. Results! (AN)

**Um, hi everyone!**

 **The poll has closed and this post is to tell everyone what the results are!**

 **Drumroll please!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Henrietta: 6**

 **Kirche: 11**

 **Tabitha 8**

 **Siesta 5**

 **Tada! The numbers have spoken! Kirche will be the first to bed Louise with Tabitha following along thereafter! But, before anyone starts trying to crucify me, this poll was about who would bed Louise first, not start dating first. That has already been decided on by yours truly.**

 **But, as one of our viewers has volunteered to help out with any and all smut scenes that I may come up with, this story will receive an M rating upgrade once we've reached Louise and Kirche's event.**

 **If anyone has any grievances, ideas for how the relationship evolves, or just want to say something, please PM me and not review. For those of you without accounts, please wait until the next actual chapter so that my numbers make sense.**

 **Oh! If anyone is a fan of my writing style then please give a look at my main story Grunts (shorthand)! It's almost the prototype for this story as many personalities, character traits, and other essentials were honed and polished over the course of the story's near year long run!**

 **That's everything! Now that I have a good grasp on what's going on I can get back to writing in earnest, though it's likely my other story will be updated before this one since it's anniversary is next week.**

 **I'll also leave Louise's stats here for anyone that's interested.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **Social: 130**

 **Royal Demeanor: 0**

 **Composure: 0**

 **Elegance: 0**

 **Presence: 0**

 **Louise has no current need for this and Neb will not teach it. Will that change? Don't know.**

 **Conversation: 40**

 **Public Speaking: 0**

 **Court Manners: 50**

 **Flattery -10**

 **Being the daughter of a Duke, Louise is rather skilled in how court manners work. But, she's a very blunt person and can't do Flattery to save her life. Again, Neb and Louise see no point in training such things so this is unlikely to change anytime soon.**

 **Expression: 70**

 **Decoration: 0**

 **Instrument: 0**

 **Voice: 70**

 **Louise couldn't tell Da Vinci from Donatello if the Mona Lisa was before her and the less said about her playing skills the better. But, she has a surprising talent for singing that has been heavily overshadowed by her original lack of magical success.**

 **Intellectual: 510**

 **History: 200**

 **Halkegenia History: 100**

 **Foreign Affairs: 40**

 **World History: 60**

 **As a devoted student, Louise is well aware of Helkegenia's history while being above average in World History. But, due to familial influence she's only truly aware of the affairs belonging to the family's allies and enemies.**

 **Intrigue: 0**

 **Internal Affiars: 0**

 **Foreign Intelligence: 0**

 **Ciphering: 0**

 **Louise has no head for Intrigue due to her own belief system and code of honor. Whilst Neb has yet to find a decent set of ciphers to at least teach her _something_ making her grow in the other two would only occur after a major character shift.**

 **Medicine: 150**

 **Herbs: 50**

 **Battlefield: 50**

 **Poison: 50**

 **While Louise did have a decent knowledge of herbs and poisons for her reagent collections, it wasn't until Siesta and Neb began instructing her that she began to learn the various medicinal properties of plants and medicinal techniques.**

 **Economics: 20**

 **Accounting: 0**

 **Trade: 20**

 **Production: 0**

 **Louise has no knowledge of how economics work beyond the most basic levels, only knowing her own family's trade items.**

 **Military: 140**

 **Strategy: 40**

 **Naval Strategy: 40**

 **Logistics: 60**

 **This is one of the areas that Neb has been drilling Louise heavily. While she's no expert and has yet to lead anything beside a small party, she shows much promise.**

 **Physical: 530**

 **Agility: 160**

 **Dance: 50**

 **Reflexes: 60**

 **Flexibility: 50**

 **Neb's constant training and her own general desire to improve has lead to Louise having above average reflexes while also being rather flexible. Her skill in dance comes from being a daughter to a duke as all are expected to know how to dance.**

 **Weapons: 140**

 **Swords: 60**

 **Archery: 30**

 **Polearms: 50**

 **This is the most drilled aspect of Louise's training beside general fitness. As such, she's able to fight one on one with decent skill whether using a sword or polearm while she hasn't been given much training in archery as of yet.**

 **Athletics: 170**

 **Running: 75**

 **Climbing: 55**

 **Swimming: 40**

 **Louise has been drilled extremely hard in running to build her overall endurance while Neb has slowly added less intense climbing exercises so she can escape in a pinch. Swimming is rather hard as the nearest lake is almost three hours away but Louise won't drown.**

 **Animal Handling:**

 **Horses: 60**

 **Dogs: 0**

 **Falcons: 0**

 **Louise is perfectly capable of riding a willing horse all on her own but she knows nothing of dogs or birds as she was never allowed to have one. Instead, her family tried to get her magic to manifest.**

 **Mystic: 145**

 **Faith: 100**

 **Meditation: 0**

 **Divination: 20**

 **Lore: 80**

 **Louise is an avid fan of stories and tales. As such, she has an expansive knowledge of Halkegenian Lore but is still a few years from being a true expert. She also knows some divination but that was mostly as a passing curiosity.**

 **Mage: 45**

 **Sense Magic: 0**

 **Resist Magic: 10**

 **Wield Magic: 35**

 **Louise, as is well known, could not use any conventional magic until Neb arrived. After this he began to train her in learning to control her power and channel it into spells from his homeland. She's only able to use a few spells but she is growing better. The training to learn about resisting magic has yet to start though, but Louise has shown some minor natural resistance, likely inherited from her extremely powerful mother.**

 **Well that's everything! Hope everyone is satisfied with this little stat update and I can't wait to hear opinions!**


	11. New Mission

**Behold! The actual 10th chapter!**

 **Sorry about the last pair of false alarms everyone, I just needed to get the word out. But, now we get back to Louise and friends!**

 **Oh, before anyone asks, this story takes place in the anime continuity on the basis of me not having access to the light novels and as such have only the anime episodes and a sadly incomplete wiki to go on. If anyone's willing to share some information, please do! (In PM form please!)**

 **In any case, today we go to the capital with Louise and Siesta, both attempting to be undercover operatives!**

 _New Mission_

Three days after the ball, Princess Henrietta arrived in person.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Grace," Osmond greeted as she stepped out of the royal carriage. "Fouquet is awaiting your guards in the dungeons and her captors are waiting in my office."

Henrietta inclined her head politely, already walking towards the center tower. Her personal guard, led by a blonde woman, split in half when Osmond caught up.

"Fetch Fouquet," the captain ordered. "Keep wands on her at all times. Once she's secure, wait for us to return; we'll rendezvous with the Griffin Knights from there."

The guards nodded and left, leaving the rest to ascend the tower. Soon, they were standing in the Headmaster's office with Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche kneeling before the princess.

"You have done Tristain a great service, despite your youth," Henrietta began. "The capture of Fouquet is a great victory in our fight against criminals of both noble and common varieties. For that, all of you are to be commended and rewarded."

She motioned Kirche to rise first. "Is there anything you wish, Lady Zerbst? If it is within my power, I shall grant it."

Kirche paused to consider, before snapping her fingers. "If I could get a fire mountain cinder and a small red beryl crystal, I will consider the favor paid."

Henrietta nodded, a graceful smile on her face. "Materials easily procured. Very well."

She turned to Tabitha next. "I extend the offer to you as well, Lady Tabitha. I would normally offer you the title of Chevalier for your services, but as you have already received the title, I can hardly grant it again. As such, is there anything you might require?"

Tabitha gazed at the princess blankly, internally annoyed at the casual revelation of one of her secrets. But it wasn't that important, so she let it slide.

"…Moonstone and Elderwood."

Henrietta nodded. "Easily procured as well."

Finally, she turned to Louise. "What of you, Lady Valliere?" she asked.

Louise took a moment to respond, still stunned by the revelation that Tabitha was a Chevalier at such a young age. "N-nothing, Your Majesty! Serving the crown is reward enough!"

Henrietta smiled demurely, a fleeting look of sadness passing through her eyes unnoticed. "Surely there is something I can offer you, Lady Valliere?"

Louise shook her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty, but I truly desire nothing. Serving the crown is all the reward I could ask for."

Henrietta hummed, tapping a finger on her chin. "Very well then, I guess I'll just dub you a Chevalier and be done with it."

Louise gaped. "B-but Your Majesty!"

Henrietta held up a hand, silencing Louise. "Your service deserves to be rewarded. Capturing a square class mage, even with help, is no easy feat; that deserves some recognition."

She motioned Louise to kneel in front of her as she took a blade from her guard captain.

"In recognition of exemplary action in the face of great odds, and in recognition of the courage and skill required to undertake the capture of Fouquet, I hereby dub you Chevalier Louise Fraçois de la Valliere."

She gently tapped the flat of the blade against Louise's lax shoulders, smiling as Louise slowly rose.

"Congratulations, Dame Valliere; I pray that you will continue to serve the realm faithfully in the years to come."

Louise bowed, too shocked to speak. Henrietta turned to a curious Kirche, seeing that Louise wouldn't be likely to find her voice anytime soon.

"I would offer you the title as well, Lady Zerbst, but I am afraid that such would be outside my realm of authority. I have already sent a letter of recommendation to the Germanian Emperor, however, and I am hopeful that he shall deign to knight you as well."

Kirche bowed in return. "Thank you, Your Majesty. That's very generous of you."

Henrietta giggled, shedding some of the formality that she had worn for the recognitions. "Think nothing of it. Now, I have some things to discuss with Principal Osmond. I wish you all good health."

She gave a shallow bow that all three returned, before sweeping out of the room with her guard barely a step behind her. The door clacked shut, and as though it had severed the strings holding her up, Louise sank to the ground on her knees.

"I'm a Chevalier, I'm a Chevalier, I'm a Chevalier…"

Tabitha gave her a few pokes, getting no response.

"…Broken."

Kirche laughed, feeling her tension from the meeting drain out of her. Whilst Princess Henrietta was almost the same age as her, the sheer gravitas that she wrapped herself in for any sort of official business was intimidating.

"I doubt she'll be responsive to much of anything for a while. I'll take her back to Siesta while you go tell Neb she's indisposed."

Tabitha bristled a bit. "…Why you?"

Kirche raised a brow. "Because I know where Siesta will be at this time of day," she replied, curious as to where the question had come from.

Tabitha still had an odd look of consternation on her face, but eventually, she nodded begrudgingly. "…Very well." She walked away slowly, face moving back to focus on her book. Still, Kirche knew her too well to just dismiss the odd behavior.

'Was she… jealous?' Kirche shook her head. There was simply no way. A jealous Tabby was just impossible to even picture – it was something she'd expect to see around the same time that Guiche's mole started to shit gold for him. It was just never going to happen.

She scooped the despondent Louise up in her arms to carry her to the base of the tower, smirking at the lack of resistance even as she leaned the smaller girl's head against her chest. She was going to be enjoying the intimate moment while it lasted, she decided.

As she reached the ground floor, Neb's voice drifted over to meet her. "Verdandi, my friend... what could possibly have possessed you into eating solid gold ore?"

Kirche froze for a moment, before she hung her head with a sigh, trying to ignore the familiars as best she could. It seemed that she'd have to reconsider the possibility that Tabby could be jealous after all: Something like that had to be an omen, given the timing.

Another thought hit her, nearly making her pause once more. If Tabitha was jealous of Kirche for being alone with Louise, then did that mean…

Kirche shook her head again. There was definitely no way Tabitha liked Louise: There would be a better chance of Guiche becoming celibate.

– – – Neb – – –

"So how'd the meeting go?"

Tabitha only stared, a little put off by what Neb was doing.

"Oh, don't give me that look; many heads can do many things."

'Indeed,' Tabitha thought, bemused. One of the heads was still conversing with the big mole, while another three were running a small experiment on the side. In addition, the last head not speaking with her was unconscious with a noticeable lump rising from its head.

She pointed to the clearly injured head. "…Problem?"

The head talking with her snorted in response. "No. Verdandi over here," he nodded at the mole, "decided to pop out of the ground right as I was trying to reach a rock. The rock then whacked my head, and I haven't been able to get anything out of it since."

Tabitha nodded, appeased, before switching subjects to the reason she had come. "…Louise knighted."

There was a crash and quick thump as Neb's experiment was knocked over, before a small explosion erupted from the floor where the chemicals mixed. The heads ignored the small mushroom cloud rising from the earth as every head focused on her.

"Really? Has she sworn total fealty along with it, or is that already implied by her noble status?"

Tabitha looked back to her book. "…Already implied. Out of it now, though."

Neb sighed. Of course she was. "Alright, I assume she's been taken back to her room then. When she finally comes around, would you mind having Siesta tell her she has today off?"

Tabitha tilted her head, her tone slightly curious. "…Mercy?"

Neb chuckled. "No, she just won't be able to concentrate right now. Oh, and tell Siesta she's off too. I doubt she'd leave Louise's side either way, but it's the thought that counts."

Tabitha nodded one last time, before she turned and left for the dorm tower, ignoring Neb's cursing at the ruined experiment in the background.

Neb, after sweeping the debris into a pile and burying it, sighed. Now that that was over with, and Verdandi had left, he could contemplate the runes on his leg. While he had originally forgotten about them in his zeal to start training Louise, Colbert had raised the issue of them again just two days ago.

 _"You needed to see me, Sir Colbert?"_

 _Neb's voice matched his curious and sympathetic eyes. The usually jovial professor had been dower since they'd brought Fouquet – or rather Mathilda – to the Academy, and Neb respected him too much to pry. Now though, he was dead serious._

 _"Yes, I've come with a request to look at your runes so that I can translate them."_

 _Neb blinked; he'd forgotten about those completely through everything. "What is there to tell?" he asked. "Are they not just a magical contract's physical representation?"_

 _Colbert shook his head. "No, the runes will usually tell something about the familiar – they're a descriptive title of sorts. Yours though, I've never seen before. So now, if you'll let me, I can look up their meaning in a few days."_

 _Neb hummed, considering the offer. "Is there any real point to knowing? As in, does it describe a special ability the summoned creature is given?"_

 _Colbert nodded. "Generally, yes. Most of the time it describes either the familiar's temperament or abilities in some way. That's why I'm curious."_

 _Neb gave it a moment of thought, before deciding that he might as well help the man cope. "Very well, take as accurate a sketch as you need."_

 _Colbert pulled out some parchment and wrote down the runes, painstakingly replicating the cuneiform to the last stroke. He finished after nearly twenty minutes, bowing and telling Neb to expect the translation in a few days before disappearing into the Academy._

That was two days ago, and Neb hadn't seen him since.

'Are the runes that hard to translate? Or is the book he needs for the translations somewhere that Colbert is having trouble finding?'

He shook his head. It didn't matter in the long run.

What did matter was that dusk was approaching, and he still needed to apologize to Principal Osmond.

That would be fun.

– – – Siesta – – –

"Thank you for binging milady back, Lady Zerbst."

Siesta bowed, but was waved off. "She was a gibbering wreck – why wouldn't I carry her back?"

Siesta had numerous scenarios run through her head about that, but she quickly squashed them. She was just lucky that Kirche had come by after she'd just finished cleaning.

"I extend my thanks anyway. Milady needs her rest though, so I must ask if you can give her some privacy."

Kirche gave her an odd look, making Siesta realize she'd probably overstepped her bounds.

"I-I'm sorry, L-lady Zerbst. I-I just k-know that m-milady needs…rest."

She squeaked the last word while Kirche's face morphed into a grin.

"Oh you're a real treat Siesta," Kirche said with a chuckle. "Caring enough to shoo someone far above your station out of the room without hesitation. You remind me of my old nanny before she retired."

Siesta blushed heavily, averting her eyes. "I, uh… thank you, Lady Zerbst."

Kirche laughed, "Think nothing of it. Well, I'm going to go find Flame. Take care of Louise for me!"

Kirche left the blushing maid behind, leaving Siesta with the unresponsive but conscious Louise.

Sighing, Siesta guided Louise over to the bed and laid her down. She propped Louise's head up a bit with some pillows before retrieving a vial of liquid from a cabinet on the other side of the room.

"Alright, milady, open your mouth a bit. This'll help you relax."

Louise didn't respond, so Siesta pried her mouth open, tipped her head back, and poured the medicine down Louise's throat. Siesta helped her swallow before clarity returned to Louise's eyes a few minutes later.

"…Siesta?"

Siesta smiled. "Glad to see you back with us, milady."

Louise rubbed her forehead. "What… time is it?"

Siesta glanced out the window of the room. "Just before sundown. Lady Zerbst brought you back from the meeting with the Princess."

Louise blinked before hopping out the bed with a shout of glee. "Oh, Siesta! Today was the best day ever!"

Louise ran forward and enveloped Siesta in a hug, bouncing in place. Siesta quickly found herself bouncing with her, the joy infectious.

"I guess the meeting went well then, milady?"

Louise squealed. "Yes! I was knighted, Siesta, knighted! I'm a Chevalier now!"

Siesta did her best to hold Louise in place, making sure she didn't wind up jumping into something that might break. "That's wonderful news! I'm very happy for you, milady."

Louise kept hopping in place. "I'm just so happy, Siesta! I thought I was validated when Neb came around, but this? This is amazing!"

Siesta adopted a contemplative face. "Should… I call you Dame Valliere now?"

That made Louise pause. "Hmm… You know what? For being such a good maid to me, I'll just let you call me Lady Louise."

Siesta frowned. "Just… Lady Louise? Not Lady Valliere or Dame Valliere?"

Louise smiled. "You've been very helpful ever since I hired you, Siesta, and you've been a great ear and teacher at the same time. I don't see why you can't call me by my first name along with my title."

Siesta bowed, stunned. Commoners were only allowed to call a noble by their personal name if they were considered close friends. "…Thank you, Lady Louise."

Louise waved it off. "Think nothing of it. Now then, where's Neb? I want to tell him the news too!"

A tapping on the window soon revealed the hydra, "No need, Louise; Tabitha already informed me. Oh, and before you ask, the rest of me is with Principal Osmond."

Siesta took a glance out the window as Louise began to gleefully talk to Neb, wondering at how far his neck was stretched.

"Sir Neb? Is it safe to stretch so far?"

Neb was sheepish. "Well…"

– – – Osmond – – –

"Well we've learned something new, haven't we?"

Osmond sighed as the rest of Neb's heads nodded, one of them stretching well out of the room while the others were slightly shrunk into the body itself, only their snouts clearly visible.

– – – Siesta – – –

Siesta giggled at that mental image, smiling along as Louise laughed heartily.

"I must say, Louise; this is the most relaxed I've ever seen you."

Louise grew quiet, shuffling her feet as Siesta and Neb's eyes focused on her.

"Well… it's just that-"

A knock on the door interrupted Louise, making everyone jump.

"Siesta," Neb hissed, "I don't recognize the scent. I can't stay here any longer or my neck will snap, so please, keep Louise safe until I get there."

Siesta nodded quietly, a dagger sliding easily into her hand from a fold in her sleeve. Louise took her place on the bed before Neb slipped away.

"Who's there?"

A muffled voice came through the door. "A friend."

Louise narrowed her eyes before motioning Siesta to open the door. Siesta took her place to the left of the door and undid the latch. The door flew open and a hooded figure dashed into the room, heading straight for Louise. Siesta jumped into action as the door slammed shut again, tackling the figure while Louise pointing the jewel of Raelag's staff at the assailant's head.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Answer me or my maid slits your throat!"

Siesta helped the point by placing the blade under the figure's neck, applying some pressure when they struggled

'I must thank Sir Neb for including me in those lessons of his. I can't use a sword to save my life, sure, but daggers and knifes…"

The figure stopped moving before a very familiar voice exited the hood.

"I knew you'd made good friends, Louise, but I didn't think you'd have a bodyguard masquerading as a pretty face."

Louise almost dropped the staff. "P-p-p-princes!"

Siesta flew off the figure, face stricken. The figure stood up and took off the hood, revealing the smiling face of Princess Henrietta.

Louise was kneeling immediately. "I-I am extremely embarrassed, Your Highness! It's is inexcusable to even dare threaten you!"

Henrietta rolled her eyes. "Peace, Louise. Anyone else in the same position would have acted the same. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for sneaking into your dorm."

She turned to Siesta. "And I apologize to you as well. You did a fantastic job of defending Louise and I'm glad to see she has someone that care for her."

Siesta curtsied with every ounce of poise she could muster lest she faint.

Louise was still flustered though. "B-but what are you doing here?! It's not safe for you to be without protection!"

Henrietta smiled. "You know I'm not so weak I cannot protect myself, Louise. Now please, enough with the formalities." Henrietta giggled. "Call me Anne, like you did when we were girls."

Louise protested. "B-but, Your Highness! I am but a simple noble; I cannot overstep my bounds!"

Henrietta sighed, walking forward. She cupped Louise's chin and pulled her eyes up. "You are my friend, Louise. You were there for me at a young age and, even though we were separated, I never forgot you or your warm friendship. So please, no formalities when we're in private at the very least."

Louise blushed at the Princess's soft touch, but nodded.

Henrietta pulled back. "Good. Now then, I hate to say this, but my visit isn't just for pleasure."

Her face became very serious. "I need someone to go and find if nobles in the capital are abusing the commoners. But, I cannot send any of the agents in my employ as any one of them could be bribed to look away from the crime."

Louise dropped to one knee in an instant, kneeling again. "I will gladly volunteer for this mission!"

Henrietta blinked. "Are you sure, Louise? It is an undercover mission, so you won't be able to use your status as a noble for anything."

Louise was adamant. "I will do anything you require of me – it is my duty and pleasure to serve the crown!"

Henrietta frowned. "I… don't doubt that, Louise. I would… just feel more comfortable if you had someone else with you, just in case."

Louise kept her eyes fixed to the Princess's feet. "Then I will bring Siesta! My familiar is too conspicuous for a delicate mission, but Siesta is far more knowledgeable about common living then I!"

Henrietta turned to a dazed Siesta. "Are you okay with this? I won't ask you to do this if you don't wish to."

Siesta snapped out of her daze. "Y-yes, Your Highness! I would gladly serve you with Lady Louise! I even have an Uncle that runs an inn in the city, if that could help."

Henrietta considered the proposal before nodding. "Very well. But, I'd prefer if you use him as a last resort. Unknown travelers are far more likely to be ignored than someone visiting a family inn – especially if it's popular."

She turned back to Louise. "I can see that there's no turning you away from this. Thank you for accepting my selfish request, Louise. I'd ask that you arrive at the capital in a few days and report to me in two weeks. I've already spoken to Principal Osmond, and he'll handle sending the report to me."

Louise bowed her head further, before Henrietta took her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"It was… wonderful to see you again, Louise. I've missed you greatly, and I hope we'll see more of each other in the future."

Louise bobbed her head, before separating from Henrietta. The Princess gave a shallow bow of thanks to the two of them, before disappearing into the tower once more.

Louise and Siesta just stared at the closed door for a moment, before the window opened to let one of Neb's heads poke in.

"What did I miss?"

– – – A short explanation later – – –

"Foolish children!" Neb's head was raving at the two kneeling girls, obviously upset. "Neither of you have any training in subterfuge – not even in the most basic ciphers to create hidden messages! How can you expect to gain anything from this when you are so ill equipped?"

Louise looked up, defiance in her eyes. "It was a direct request from not only the Princess of the realm, but a request from my oldest friend! I would never dare turn down something like that!"

Neb growled. "Then she's a fool as well! She surely has many agents under her command, and some are doubtlessly loyal to her alone while being far better suited!"

Louise would not take the insult lying down. "Don't you dare insult her! She was my only pillar of support for years, and I have seen more kindness from her in the past twenty minutes then my family has shown me in almost a decade! I would gladly die for her, just like you would have for Raelag!"

Neb inhaled sharply, eyes flashing, though he remained silent.

After a short stare down, his eyes softened, and he whispered his answer. "Very well then. I can see you are set on this and that no amount of scorn or persuasion will change your mind." He turned to Siesta. "I will give you a list of code words tomorrow. Make sure both you and Louise memorize them before leaving."

He sighed before pulling back and through the window, his head disappearing into the night.

Siesta could still feel the tension radiating of Louise. "Milady… surely you could have-"

Louise cut her off with a snarl. "He has no idea what Henrietta means to me! He could never know! I will not stand here and listen to anyone berate her; not even the sages! Not when she did all she could for me."

Louise pointed to the door. "Go and prepare, Siesta. I will see you tomorrow."

Siesta wanted to say something – anything – but Louise's command held all the certainty of death.

She left without another word.

Louise was left alone, anger palpable.

'Who does he think he is? He would do all this and more for Raelag and yet he berates me for being foolish! All for doing something that he would have if the roles were reversed?' Louise snorted as she prepared for bed. 'Hypocrite.'

– – – Neb – – –

'She reminds me far too much of Ard.'

Neb sighed as his heads very carefully wrote out the code words, tongues covered in ink scratching the parchment.

'Ard was shown kindness once by her liege, and she defended the snake against anything. When others whispered of his misdeeds, she scolded them; when he was too cowardly to duel against his betters, she fought in his stead. When his plans called for the massacre of innocent wood elves, she killed them gladly in his name.'

He snorted, nearly splattering ink across the page. 'All to repay one act of kindness, a little girl… became Death's Claw.'

 **Well I'll go ahead and cut this here.**

 **Sorry for anyone that wanted some immediate romantic development but these things take time. I doubt we'll see that scene with Kirche until well into what counts as season two, though Louise will start dating someone in I'd say…. 4-5 chapters. That's not set in stone yet, but know that it is coming.**

 **Also, thank you to everyone that decided to vote and for all your gracious reviews! A number of you gave me some _very_ interesting ideas or starts of ideas and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the show!**

 **Well that's all for me. Oh, and my Fire Emblem story officially passed the anniversary mark a few weeks ago! I know it seems rather… desperate to advertise another story here, but it's my first one and my baby so I can't help but be proud of it!**

 **For those with the questions, here are the answers!**

 **They technically _can_ enhance themselves but this is mostly limited to potions, water, earth, and wind mages. Whilst fire mages are very powerful, they can be burned by their own flames and thus have a hard time using it for anything more than passive heat resistance. Louise's spells are different in that they work on pure aether rather than a specific element, making them more powerful overall but also costlier.**

 **Neb is a solid seven feet high at his shoulder (See chapter 2) and his heads reach another ten feet high. In addition to this, he weighs half-a-ton and is almost four feet wide at his chest. This makes him much larger than almost any door and he must stay outside or in specially prepared areas.**

 **I can't tell you about the family as that's spoiler territory. But, the staff CANNOT be reinforced. It is designed specifically to maximize output of magic and every part of this was made to do so. While it's not so fragile it will break from being dropped, it cannot take anything more than the force generated from a ten-foot fall. Should it snap though… well, all that stored magic has to go somewhere! Sorry for anyone wanting a Gandalf like Louise.**


	12. Charming Fairies

**Back to business!**

 **Thanks to everyone that's been reviewing though, I appreciate it! Answers to questions will be after the chapter like always.**

 **Also, I'm really sorry this comes out so late. My beta got sick and I had work to do so we hope this is up to standard!**

- _Charming Fairies_ -

Neb met them at the gate.

"You've memorized the code words then?"

Siesta nodded. "Yes, and I burned the key."

Neb nodded. "Very good."

He turned his attention to a seething Louise. After a few attempts to lock eyes with her, Neb gave up.

"Well, I cannot stop you now. But, please, be careful."

Louise grunted before cracking the reins of her horse. Siesta gave Neb a nervous smile and followed.

Neb kept his every eye glued on them until they were out of sight, sighing when he couldn't see them.

'I know the disguises work at least. Louise may have pink hair, but put her and Siesta in normal clothes and you can barely pick them out of a crowd.'

He turned his attention back to the Academy, mind forcefully turning to Colbert's request to meet.

'I wonder if he figured out the rune translations? Can't say I'm not excited, but I hope the runic name isn't extravagant.'

He set off, not knowing he'd have one of the most extravagant of all.

– – –

Siesta didn't know what to think about her present situation.

Frankly, it just felt weird. There they were, a maid and a second-year Academy student, going on an undercover mission as a personal favor from the princess.

It just smacked of a poorly written novel's plot.

By some miracle she'd been able to convince Lady Louise to memorize the code words, but she was still adamant in her refusal to speak to Neb.

'All because he called Her Highness a fool,' Siesta thought, frowning at her lady's back.

'What did Her Highness do? What could have inspired such loyalty from Lady Louise?'

A pang went through her heart.

'What could she have done to earn Louise's eye?'

She almost choked when she realized what had just gone through her head. Where had that thought come from? Where had that feeling come from?

"Siesta?"

Siesta squeaked. "Yes, milady?"

Louise sighed. "Just call me Louise while we're out here, Siesta. You'll blow our cover otherwise."

Siesta tried to bow, but almost fell off the horse.

Louise giggled while Siesta righted herself. "Anyway, let's go over any places we can try and gather information. You've been to the capital before, right?"

Siesta nodded. "Y-yes, but only a couple of times; my village is to the northwest of the capital, so I only went when my uncle needed help."

Louise fiddled with her cloak. "Well, what are the places that gossip and rumor spread the easiest?"

Siesta blinked. "Um… taverns and restaurants are the most likely places to hear something, but there are a few others."

Louise tilted her head. "Oh? Do share."

Siesta blushed. "Um, well, there's…"

Louise pulled on her reins with a sigh, pulling them to a stop. "Come now, Siesta. While we're on this mission, we are equals. Go ahead and speak; I won't mind."

Siesta blushed further. "Well… the other most common place to find info is at… brothels."

Louise, bless her, didn't get it.

"What's a brothel?"

Siesta wanted to hug her. The girl may have had dirty dreams of an orgy, but she somehow still seemed to manage to be impossibly innocent.

"Well…"

So, began a very embarrassing conversation.

"O-oh," Louise squeaked after Siesta finished.

"Yes… Um, shall we be going?"

Louise nodded, her face pink. She cracked the reins again and sent them cantering down the road once more.

Siesta had to wonder what was going through Louise's head. She'd gone from curious to horrified to embarrassed all in the span of about a minute.

Maybe Louise was just that innocent?

-Louise-

'Why did I have to ask?'

Louise could barely look at Siesta. She was still determined to complete the mission, of course, but she just hoped it wouldn't require going into a den of sin.

'...With all kinds of bouncy bits.'

Louise squashed the thought the moment it arrived, face darkening.

She cast a surreptitious glance Siesta's way and felt herself stare. Siesta was much more… natural when out of uniform. If anything, Louise would call her pretty, if not beautiful.

It was wasted on one of her station.

She turned her eyes back to the road, sighing.

It truly was a shame. Siesta was such a kind, considerate girl with looks half the noble girls she knew would kill for. But all it could possibly do for her was catch the eye of some repugnant pig, and see her end up as nothing but a toy for them for the rest of her life.

Thank God she was a maid, or else Louise would likely have never blinked.

Then again, Siesta was special. She was her handmaid after all, and a rock when Louise felt overwhelmed. But Louise still sneered when someone other than Siesta made a mistake or displeased her.

Siesta had earned their current relationship, but everyone else had to know their place.

Just like mother said.

Louise shook her head. Now wasn't the time for thoughts like those.

"Um, Siesta?"

Siesta perked up. "Yes, mi- Louise."

Louise gestured to their saddlebags. "You made sure to bring a couple extra daggers, right?"

Siesta reached into one of the small bags. "Yes. I have three throwing daggers, a larger knife, and a stiletto. Just in case."

Louise nodded. "That's good. I just wanted to check."

Siesta smiled. "Do you have your extra sword and wand?"

Louise patted her hip, a steel blade bouncing in the sheathe. "Yes, and my wand's in my robes."

Siesta giggled. "Oh, I still remember Derflinger's rant when you told him he couldn't come."

Louise groaned. "Don't remind me. Sorry about asking again – I know we went over all this before we left, but…"

Siesta trotted up beside Louise. "Nervous?"

Louise nodded.

Siesta smiled. "Don't worry, Louise. We'll be just fine. If we aren't too conspicuous, all should be well."

Louise smirked. "Define conspicuous."

Siesta felt a growing sense of dread. Why did that sound really, really bad?

– – – Tristania, Capital of Tristain – – –

"And stay out!"

Louise dashed into the street, dodging some pebbles the bouncer was throwing. Siesta, sitting at a fountain in the plaza, sighed.

Louise had come up with the bright idea to try and increase their funds for bribe money. But, rather than offer their services in any number of places, she'd gone into a casino.

...Where she proceeded to lose everything.

Thankfully, Siesta had the foresight to hold onto their weapons and a couple extra sets of clothes, or they would be much worse off than they were.

"I told you gambling was a bad idea."

Louise growled, more annoyed with herself than anything.

"Yeah, yeah. And thanks to that bad idea we have no money at all. Least of all bribe money."

Siesta sighed. "Maybe… we should contact the Princess?"

Louise rounded on her, eyes wide with panic at the thought. "No! Absolutely not! She is counting on us to do this correctly; we cannot go begging to her for help."

Siesta was just glad Louise remembered to whisper. "Then what are we going to do? Part of the money was for our lodgings and food."

Louise grit her teeth. "We… will have to find somewhere to work, at least for a time."

Siesta nodded. "So, my original idea then."

Louise rolled her eyes. "You're much snippier than you were on the road."

Siesta smiled. "You said we were equals while on this mission. That means you're a friend, and friends can tease each other all they like."

Louise smirked. "You do realize that give me free reign too, right?"

Siesta blushed. "I… would have it no other way."

She stood up and stretched.

"Now then, let's go see if anyone's looking for help."

Louise took her blade back. "Just as long as the work's not too demeaning."

Siesta felt dread settle on her again. Oh, dear.

-Evening-

"I can't believe these people!"

Louise seethed while Siesta sighed. They'd attempted a good five spots and they'd only been hired for all of two hours before Louise had lost her temper at the 'demeaning' work and got them fired.

All without getting paid.

"Why would they have their staff demean themselves to such boars? I did them a favor by putting that scum in their place!"

Siesta sighed again. "I don't see how 'putting them in their place' constitutes breaking stools on their bodies, or shattering bottles over their heads. We're lucky the proprietors didn't try and confiscate our belongings."

Louise kept growling, by now used to this much snarkier Siesta. Siesta, seeing her friend unable to see beyond the cobblestones, looked at a nearby sign.

"Louise!"

Louise paused in her anger, turning to see Siesta pointing at a building.

"What?"

Siesta beamed.

"This is my uncle's inn! He can give us work and lodgings; I know he can!"

Louise took a glance at the sign.

'Charming Fairies Inn?'

"Are you sure this is the place? It looks… a bit above board."

Siesta gave her a deadpan look. "Yes, yes, make fun of the poor farm girl; it's never been done before."

Louise smirked. "Where's the little mouse who cowered before me just after she had been fired? I quite miss her."

Siesta shook her head. "The mouse is back in the Academy. Right now, there's just Siesta and Louise, a pair of travelers looking for work and lodging."

Siesta bent over, looking at Louise sideways. "Besides, I won't act like this unless it's just us."

Louise felt some pink dust her cheeks. "T-that's sounds fine. Just remember to keep your manners when we get back."

Siesta walked up and put a hand on Louise's shoulder, inwardly crying at how bold she'd been that day.

"Well, we're not getting anything done standing here!"

She pushed on Louise's shoulder and led her inside.

The doors opened to reveal Louise's greatest dream; scantily clad women running about the place.

Admittedly those dreams had Siesta, Kirche, Henrietta, and Tabitha in the revealing outfits whilst she was the only customer, but the point stood.

Siesta scanned the crowd of workers and patrons, inwardly laughing at Louise's dopey grin.

"Ah, there he is!"

Siesta pointed towards the bar and Louise's eyes turned away from her Eden.

Her dream died, mind screaming in horror at the… thing behind the counter. **(1)**

"Oh, Siesta! What are you doing here, my love?"

A large…man, waved them over. He had absolutely bulging muscles, was massively tall, and he had a sharp moustache and goatee surrounding a pair of obscenely large lips. He also had the same eyes as Siesta, though they could easily be missed when the eyes were drawn in horror to his sinfully tight pants, and the sleeveless shirt straining to hold itself together against his chest.

Louise, trying to reboot, only stared. Siesta took the lead instead.

"I'm actually visiting, Uncle. My friend and I are looking for lodging for the night, but most of our money was stolen earlier today."

The man gasped. "Oh, who would do such a thing to you sweeties?"

Siesta smiled. "It's okay, Uncle. We're both unharmed."

The man shook his head vigorously. "Worry not! I will gladly put you two up for the night! Besides, I'm always looking for more help!"

Siesta bowed. "Thank you, Uncle Scarron."

He waved her words away. "None of that; if you're going to be working here, then please, call me the same as the other girls do!"

He turned to the staff. "Girls! We have a pair of newbies starting tomorrow! Treat them well!"

"Yes, my lady!"

Louise, finally lucid, blinked. "'My Lady?'"

Scarron posed. "Yes! My lovely fairies are as much a part of me as the inn! Please, think of me as one of the girls!"

Louise didn't know what to do with this… man, so she just nodded along, hoping that the world would start making sense again. Siesta kept speaking.

"Is Jessica in today?"

Scarron blinked before clapping his hands together.

"Why, yes she is! Follow me to the back – we're almost done for now anyway."

They followed Scarron behind the counter and into the kitchen. "Jessica, we have a surprise visitor!"

A woman who was actually dressed turned to greet them, a scarf wrapped around her head. Louise's first impression of her was that she looked like Siesta with longer hair and different clothes.

Oh, and even larger breasts. That was important to note.

The woman lit up with a smile. "Siesta!"

She ran forward and enveloped Siesta in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

Siesta smiled and hugged her back, doing interesting things with both of their rather impressive busts. "Just visiting with a friend."

Jessica looked at Louise, stepping away from Siesta. "Oh, you must be her friend then."

She stretched out a hand. "Jessica; it's a pleasure."

Louise jolted from staring down Jessica's plunging neckline. "L-louise."

She took the offered hand to shake, trying to regain her mental balance.

"Hm, Louise. A very pretty name for such a cute girl."

Louise blushed and almost wished Scarron would step in. Until he actually did, at least – then she cursed herself for even thinking of him.

"Ah, isn't this wonderful? My dear niece has such a cute friend, and they're traveling together? Oh, just think of the romance!"

Louise blanched while Siesta blushed, leaving Jessica to scold him. "Hush, Father. Stop filling Siesta's head with those fantasies."

Scarron pouted. "Oh, please! I'm just having fun, Jessy!"

Jessica glared. "Stop calling me Jessy!"

Siesta smiled awkwardly as the two began bickering. "Don't worry, Louise, they're always like this."

Louise sidled up close to Siesta, placing a hand to Siesta's ear. "Is he really your Uncle?"

Siesta nodded. "Yes, on my mother's side of the family."

Louise glanced at Jessica. "And he's a father?"

Siesta felt a drop of sweat on her head. "Well… my mother says he is, but just about everyone, myself included, doubts it heavily."

Louise nodded. "Yes, well, include me in that group."

Siesta giggled before grabbing Scarron's attention. "Excuse me, Uncle, but it's been a long day. Can you show us to where we'll be staying?"

Scarron stopped his headlock of Jessica and gasped. "Oh, my! Where are my manners? Yes, please, come with me."

Scarron led them through the main room and up a couple flights of stairs until they stood in front of a door.

"I'm sorry it's not our best room, but it's all I can do on short notice."

He opened the door to show them a small room with two worn beds and a small chest. The sheets were clean at least, but there wasn't much wiggle room.

Siesta smiled. "This is perfect, Uncle. We'll put our things away before turning in."

Scarron nodded and left.

Louise shut the door slowly before finally exploding. "That's your Uncle? Why is he so…weird?!"

Siesta sighed, stripping off her cloak and removing her knives before answering.

"Uncle Scarron is Uncle Scarron. I gave up on trying to understand him a long time ago."

She sat down. "Though I do suggest you get ready. Uncle may be kind enough to put us up for tonight but we'll have to work if we want to eat."

Louise sighed. "Right, right. I just hope I'm not one of those… waitresses."

Siesta started sweating. "Well…"

Louise felt her ire rise, again.

"Siesta… Is he going to make me wear one of those things?"

Siesta laughed, the sound fake to both of them. "Well, it… is his, uh, tip race week. And he, uh, seems quite taken with you, so…"

Louise adopted a flat face. "He won't put you in the costume since you're his niece."

Siesta shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

Louise sighed. "Nothing, nothing. Just, help Jessica I guess. I'll try my best to be calm in that thing."

Siesta giggled. "If you can keep a straight face for more than an hour it'll be a new record."

Louise smirked before sashaying up to Siesta, looking her in the eye.

"And if you didn't blush every time romance was mentioned, I'd give you an early bonus."

Siesta did blush, but more because Louise was so close than the mention of romance. "W-well, let's not get t-too ahead of ourselves."

Louise pulled back and nodded. "True. We still need to get that money. Is the race thing you mentioned a competition for a bonus?"

Siesta shook her head. "No, it's for a chance to wear Uncle's family heirloom. It's a costume that charms people into giving more tips."

She tapped her chin. "Though he does throw in the bonus if the winner did exceptionally well."

Louise nodded, sitting on her bed now. "Good. That just means I need to win the race and we can get back to work."

She stretched. "Well, I'm going to get ready. I still need to oil my sword but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Siesta nodded and started unlacing her boots. She didn't feel the need to mention that she'd already witnessed almost a dozen instances of nobles abusing commoners.

It would've been more but Louise losing her temper didn't count.

-Morning-

"Louise, wake up!"

Louise opened her eyes blearily. One would think that after months of working with Neb and his early morning training, she'd be used to waking up early.

"What… is it Siesta?"

Siesta's face came slowly into focus, eagerness clear.

"We need to meet Uncle downstairs! He'll be introducing us to the staff before we eat and start the day."

Louise nodded slowly, sitting up and stretching. She paused when Siesta started giggling.

"Please, please don't tell me I have bedhead."

Siesta only nodded, mirth obvious.

Louise just sighed. "Founder damn it."

Siesta, surprise-surprise, had a brush at the ready, and they were downstairs in short order. They were welcomed by Scarron and Jessica before going out to meet the rest of the staff.

"Alright, my lovely fairies, these are the new girls! First, is my niece, Siesta!"

Siesta stepped forward. "Glad to meet you. I hope we'll get along."

The girls gave a collective cheer before Scarron spoke again.

"This is our other newbie! She's Siesta's friend, Louise!"

The girls gave another cheer, one of the older girls stepping forward.

"She's a real cutie, my lady. Can I have her?"

That was met with immediate protests, but Scarron quieted them.

"Now you know how this goes, my fairies! Shift heads that want her step forward and roll the die."

Six girls stepped forward and Scarron pulled out the die. "Alright, numbers!"

They called their numbers one after the next and Scarron rolled.

"Five! She's all yours Gale!"

A pretty blonde in a blue outfit cheered. "Sweet!"

The others grumbled while Gale skipped up to Louise. "Hi, my name's Gale! I'll be showing you the ropes today!"

Louise forced a smile on her face. "Pleasure."

Gale frowned. "No, no! A forced smile is no good! You need to smile naturally – it really brings out your eyes and makes you seem genuine."

Louise blinked. "Oh…"

Scarron laughed, well, giggled. "Oh don't worry, Louise. Gale's one of our best; she'll have you pulling tips like it's nothing."

Jessica, silent till now, smacked her forehead. "Dad, didn't you have an announcement?"

Scarron gasped. "Oh, indeed I did! You know what week it is, right girls?"

"Race Week!" they shouted back.

Scarron giggled again, the sound making Louise shudder. "That's right! And, in addition to the usual reward, I'm throwing in a big bonus for the winner!"

Another cheer went up, the girls giddy. Gale put an arm around Louise and whispered in her ear.

"Scarron always puts the Race Week during our busiest week of the year. That way he can hand out the bonus and draw in the customers."

Louise felt a pit open in her gut. "B-busiest week?"

Gale smirked. "Yep. You, my friend, are going into trial by fire."

Louise grew pale and tried to find Siesta. Naturally, she was already gone, off to help Jessica in the back.

Louise turned back to see Gale holding up a uniform in her size.

She gulped.

"Meep."

-Evening-

"What a disaster."

Louise flopped onto her bed, burying her head into the worn pillow.

"I wouldn't call it a disaster… More of an…incident," Siesta hedged, giving a weak smile.

Louise groaned. "You didn't have your cousin kick you off shift half-way through the day."

Siesta sighed. She'd tried to explain to her Uncle that Louise hadn't had much interaction with the sort of people that would be in a bar. He'd thought she'd learn soon enough, but when one drunk patron had tried to grope Louise's legs, she'd beaten him unconscious with a stool.

Unsurprisingly, this had made Gale rather upset.

Siesta put a hand on Louise's shoulder. "It's okay, Louise. You were just thrown into the fire today, without any experience, but you did pretty well until that drunkard got grabby."

Louise grumbled something. She'd seen the other girls act all kinds of coy when the drunkards were grabby and they'd gotten tips. She'd given them good service and didn't get a copper.

She wasn't their maid dammit!

Siesta had given up trying to talk with her for now so she didn't see Louise tense up.

Was… was this how the commoners felt when working for nobles? Siesta had been on an incredibly poor contract for her skills before Louise hired her. Was that common? Were Mother and Father lying when they said their servants were well paid?

Now that she thought about it, there were rumors that some nobles would 'hire' commoners that caught their eyes, and then they wouldn't be seen again for ages. When they did turn up, they were malnourished, despondent, and most of them died soon after, either from their own hands or lack of will.

Louise shivered.

This mission just got a lot more important. If Henrietta was trying to change this then she had a duty to help, for Siesta's sake as well as her own duty as a noble.

Still, she knew it was unlikely she'd be able to strip her own prejudices quickly. It would take time to cut away all those years of conditioning, and she knew that she'd have to confront her family about it eventually.

Joy.

She glanced at Siesta, feeling a smile bloom.

It would be worth it. Siesta had been a great friend, and hiring her had been one of the best decisions she had ever made, regardless of Neb's recommendation. And if there's one thing Louise did, it was pay her debts.

-Days Later-

"Louise! I need this roast at table seven!"

"Got it!" Louise called back, already balancing three trays. It was rather humorous to see the petite girl carry so much, but those strength lessons with Neb were a godsend right now.

It had taken her another two days, but Louise had been able to swallow her indignation at the drunk groping. It didn't stop her from delivering some subtle retribution here and there, but she got the tips either way.

Siesta was…surprised, to say the least. She'd expected Louise to burn through all the shift heads by week's end with the way she had been going at first, but there she was, taking and delivering orders. Sure, she was still rather clumsy, and she didn't move about the floor with the same grace as the other waitresses yet, but it just served to make her more endearing.

"Snap out of it, Siesta."

Siesta jumped. "Oh, sorry, Jessica."

Jessica laughed. "Oh please, you just need to relax. Louise has improved a lot since she started, and even Gale has been crying about giving up so soon."

Siesta shook her head. The change was rather mind boggling but it helped their mission immensely. Some nobles liked to frequent the inn, and many of them either just left without paying, or threatened to have the inn closed by going to the officials.

It made for good info gathering, and they probably already had more evidence then they really needed.

"Siesta, the buns are burning."

Siesta jumped again. "Oh, no!"

Louise just walked up and took the roast, taking it over to the tables she'd been given. A table where she realized a certain distasteful noble was sitting.

Count Mott.

She'd heard all kinds of rumors about him, and none of them were good. Even Louise's mother wanted nothing to do with the man. But, his position as a royal messenger made him mostly immune to any sort of consequences unless the crown punished him personally, no matter what people thought of him. She'd even heard he liked to 'buy' young girls that never lasted more than two months.

The thought made her shudder.

"Fairies, where's my roast?!"

Louise schooled her features into a sweet smile, walking over to the Count with all the grace she could muster.

"Here you go, dear customer. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Mott took the roast with an all too pleasant smile. "Actually, I'd like to request some... special service."

Louise inwardly cringed. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, sir. I've been forbidden by the owner."

Mott smiled, trying to be suave. "Surely I can make it worth your time, my dear? I doubt the owner will mind all that much."

He reached out and caressed Louise's arm, making Louise shiver imperceptibly. He'd walked in earlier that week and had come in every day since, always requesting Louise as his server. She could see what he wanted, and the thought sickened her.

He wanted her.

Louise pulled herself back. "I really must insist, sir. What the owner says, goes."

Mott frowned. "Then bring him here; I will discuss the situation with him personally."

Louise bowed before turning on her heel, gritting her teeth all the while.

"My lady! A customer wants to speak with you!"

Scarron turned from talking with another girl, his face hardening into a near glare when he saw Mott.

"I'll be there in just a minute, my fairy! Excuse me, Alice."

He did his usual jog over to Mott's table and engaged the man in conversation. Their voices were low, but Louise could tell Scarron wasn't enjoying himself.

A moment later, Scarron turned back to Louise. "I'm sorry, my fairy, but the customer is right. He's requested special service... and you'll have to do it."

Louise froze, before she walked forward and stiffly sat in Mott's lap. She was shaking, distraught, and altogether uncomfortable.

By God and the Founder, he was hard, too!

Mott proceeded to try and be suave again. He tried to feed her, he stroked her, making lewd promises and giving vivid descriptions of what he wanted to do with her under his breath. Louise could barely breathe as revulsion and horror began to grip her mind.

"Why don't you come with me? I'll make it worth your while," the sleaze bag cooed into her ear.

Louise could stand no more.

She whirled around and slapped him.

Hard.

Mott's head flew to the side as Louise jumped out of the booth and away from him, anger and embarrassment stark on her face.

"How dare you proposition me! This is an inn, not a brothel!"

Mott rubbed his jaw, anger in his eyes. "Feisty, eh? I'll enjoy breaking you."

He turned to a pale Scarron. "Owner! I want to buy this girl's contract!"

Scarron teetered forward. "I-I'm sorry, dear customer. She's only part-time."

Mott scoffed. "Then I'll pay whatever I need to get her. Refuse and I'll see this inn destroyed and your employees sold!"

Scarron paled further, but Mott failed to notice Siesta strafing the room. She had a cold look in her eye.

Scarron tried to reason with him. "S-sir, there is nothing I can do. She is but a simple traveler, I only hired her for this week."

Mott smirked. "Then no one will mind if I simply take her. Guards!"

Two men lumbered out of their own booth and trudged to a panting Louise, anger and a hint of real panic making their way across her face.

"S-stay away from me!"

The guards grabbed her and shoved her to the ground, Mott sauntering forward and picking Louise's head up off the floor.

"Oh, you and I are going to have so much fun. I haven't had such a feisty toy in quite some time."

Louise grit her teeth, before suddenly grinning widely.

"You wish. Siesta, now!"

Steel whistled through the air and two knives imbedded themselves in the arms of the guards holding Louise down. They screamed and loosened their grip, letting Louise free. She grabbed a nearby steel tray and smashed the corner onto the guards' heads, knocking them out.

Mott tried to draw his wand, only to find steel at his throat. "Move another inch and your blood stains the floor."

The threat was whispered but cold as ice, leaving Mott unable to turn around. Louise, after gathering herself, strode forth and presented a letter.

"Count Mott, you are hereby under arrest. You have been found interfering with a Crown sanctioned mission, as well as making unlawful threats against an agent of the crown, citizens of the crown, and an establishment in good standing with the Crown. In addition, you face charges of pedophilia and sexual depravity in public."

Mott's eyes widened in accordance with the list of charges. "H-how do you have that seal?!"

Louise smirked. "The Crown has agents everywhere – you forgot that, and now you'll pay the price. After all…"

She shrugged.

"Those charges basically amount to treason."

Siesta opened his throat.

"And traitors die."

-Hours Later-

"I…still can't believe that one of our fairies was a noble."

The royal guard had come in and cleaned up the mess. Louise had told them that Mott had attacked them, and they'd been forced to kill him lest a critical mission be in danger. A quick flash of the royal seal quieted all doubts, but it would take time to find both a new messenger and someone to take Mott's land.

Louise looked away. "I know it's rather strange, but I enjoyed my time here. It was… fun."

Scarron could scarcely speak, but he was smiling. "I'm… just glad Siesta was hired by you, milady."

Louise smiled too. "Think nothing of it; she's a wonderful servant, and a better friend. I could ask for no better."

Louise looked at Jessica. "Thank you for being patient with me this week. I know it's been tough trying to teach me."

Jessica blinked. "Oh, think nothing of it, milady! I'm glad Siesta's found a good person to serve."

Jessica glanced toward a table near the back where Siesta was sitting.

"She's… still not taking it well."

Louise turned a little green. "Frankly, neither am I."

Scarron sighed, usual joviality gone. "Well, it's understandable. Killing…changes you. And not for the better."

Louise nodded. "A friend of mine told me the same thing. I wish I could give her more time, but we must return to give our report."

Jessica smiled sadly. "You said Siesta was your friend, right?"

Louise nodded.

"Then go talk to her. I think it'll do you both a world of good to talk things out."

Louise sighed. "That sounds good. We can't do it now, but I'll talk to her later."

She looked back to Scarron. "Looks like the Race is off, huh?"

Scarron shook his head. "No, it's not. In fact, it finished just now."

He took one of Louise's hands. "Congratulations, milady. You earned the most tips."

Louise blinked. "But, I can't wear the outfit. We have to leave tomorrow."

Scarron winked. "Just for tonight then. Maybe it'll help Siesta if nothing else."

Louise's face went flat. "Why do I feel you're scheming something?"

Scarron gasped, his jovial aura returning. "Why mademoiselle! Would I ever do such a thing?"

Louise rolled her eyes, but frowned thoughtfully when she looked back at Siesta.

"Fine, I'll do it."

–Evening–

Siesta was staring at the blade of her knife.

The one she'd used to kill.

Bile rose in her throat, but she forced it down. She'd protected Louise, just like she'd promised, but…

The image still made her shiver. Blood pooling and spraying on the floor, the body flailing as the Count tried to staunch the flow, the knife, the knife, the knife!

Bile rose again.

She ran to a bucket and emptied her gut.

Siesta heaved for what felt like hours, though it was only a scant few minutes. She heaved until only a sour taste remained in her mouth and she had no more to give.

If she was honest, it wasn't so much the blood that bothered her: she'd slaughtered plenty of animals over the years. What made her ill was the ease of the killing. Of taking the life of another human being.

She hadn't hesitated for even a moment, her mind clear and calculating. Ice had been in her veins.

She'd almost enjoyed it.

Another heave.

Voices finally reached her and Siesta rushed to clean herself, chomping on a piece of mint to try and get rid of the taste and smell.

"…Embarrassing!"

That was Louise's voice.

"Come now, you look lovely!"

There was Jessica.

"Yes indeed! People would throw themselves at your feet!"

Uncle Scarron?

Their voices bickered for another moment before the door opened and Louise walked in, face a bright pink.

She was clothed in a black dress that split near the breast, with a string tying the top together while the skirt flared at the waist and out to the sides, barely reaching her upper thighs. Below that were a pair of black stockings running down into black shoes. To finish, Louise had her hair in a ponytail with a black hair band and a pair of black, arm length gloves.

"L-louise!"

Siesta honestly could not believe her eyes. She knew that Louise was cute, everyone did, but this was something else.

She looked like an angel trying to play the part of a succubus.

Louise glanced away. "H-hello, Siesta."

Siesta shook her head. "W-why are you dressed like that?"

Louise looked back to the door. "It's Scarron's dress."

Siesta's eyes widened. "Oh."

Silence descended on them, neither sure where to start.

Louise eventually sighed. "I… came to talk about what happened."

Siesta looked down, tears springing to her eyes.

"Look, Siesta, I'm sorry I got you into that. It was cruel of me to order something like that, even if it was appropriate for the situation."

Siesta took a deep breath. "I-it's fine, milady. I promised to help you however I could, and I did."

Louise glared. "It is not fine Siesta! You were vomiting before I came in!"

Siesta looked sheepish, but buckled at Louise's insistent eyes.

"I… I don't know, Louise. I've seen blood before, that doesn't bother me, it was the writhing, the coldness of my actions, the satisfaction…"

Siesta hugged herself. "I-I felt something when I killed him. I'm sick at that feeling, fearful of it."

"I…I don't want to be a monster."

Louise rushed forward and hugged Siesta, like Cattleya had done so many times for her in the past. She pushed the sobbing Siesta into her shoulder and held her there. She'd have to apologize for getting the dress wet, but Siesta's emotional state was far more important.

"I understand the feeling."

Siesta was still hiccupping but she pulled back. "W-what?"

Louise smiled sadly. "I felt a cruel satisfaction when I was listing his crimes. I was almost euphoric when you opened his throat. But, as he writhed and slowly died, I felt sick. Both at the messy death and my own mind. I always believed that I was a noble in every sense of the word, and that I would live up to that title. Neb just helped reinforce that."

Louise was crying now. "But there I was, cruelty in the flesh. I jeered at his fear and reveled in his panic, all without showing it on my face."

She smiled sadly. "You did as I ordered, Siesta, there's no shame in that. If there's a monster in this room, it isn't you."

"It's me."

Siesta pulled her close again, and they spent the rest of the night comforting one another, just talking.

It was there, in that small room, that Siesta finally realized what the pang she'd felt days before was.

She was in love with Louise. She was in love with a noble. And, she would never have her.

Or, that's what she thought.

–Neb–

"Do not disturb me fledgling!"

Sylphid titled her head at Neb, curious why he was glaring so hard at a staff.

"Why not?"

Neb groaned, turning one of his heads to face her.

"Because, Fouquet is gone. Disappeared without a trace, not even a whiff of scent to track her by. Osmond is furious!"

He turned back to the staff, growling. He was incensed that his project had been useless, too; the recreated voice no longer having a purpose. Then he'd heard what his thrice damned brand translated to.

Rǫddálfr- The Voice of God. **(2)**

Now he was glaring at Raelag's Staff, trying to burn a hole through the central jewel.

The jewel was a gift from the eldest of the Black Dragons, one of Malassa's first born.

It was a direct link to the Dragon God of Darkness, something Raelag had failed to mention.

Neb sighed.

'What plans do you have, Keeper of Secrets? Why send something like this here?'

He snarled again.

'What do you want with this world?'

The jewel glowed, a black mist flowing from it and making Neb screech in surprise. IT flowed forth and invaded his mind, a dark presence, both familiar and utterly alien, taking it's place.

" **Oh, I have no plans for this world, Collector. I simply wish it not to die.** "

Neb froze, voice barely a whisper.

"Malassa?"

The voice chuckled, grinding and soothing all at once.

" **It has been quite some time, Neboqyu. Now tell me.** "

The presence intensified, nearly sending Neb to the ground.

" **Why are my brothers and sisters here?** "

Ch. End

 **Ah, the humble cliff hanger. First time I've done this, but hey, hope it goes well.**

 **1). I like Scarron, I do, but he is scary looking from Louise's POV**

 **2). I used Skyrim Dragon Language for this. If anyone can find me an actual translation that's similar to Gandalfr and such, it would be greatly appreciated. 10/27/16(Thanks to the guest for supplying the actual translation!)**

 **Anyway, to answer questions**

 **DARSASSAN: You are correct that the meteor can kill them, but that's true physical damage vs. magic. I know it's technically magic, but I'm being realistic. Next, Derflinger is not the Sword of Might, he's endemic to FoZ and we will not see the Sar-Issus items. That's subject to change but I don't plan on it. The staff is an original creation. Lastly, my favorite faction either Haven or Fortress though Hydras are my favorite creatures.**

 **Guest with the questions: First, no she won't. Unless you mean all types of equipment at which point she will create her own armor at some point, but I'm not sure when. She'll also make armor for the others. As for Cattleya, well… no she won't learn anything that can help. Regeneration may be able to reverse some of the damage but there's nothing in Neb's repertoire that can help. Even cleansing, which removes all status effects, only affects magical ailments, not natural ones. There is ONE spell that can do it; Resurrection.**

 **Mind this requires Cattleya to DIE, but Neb does not know the spell. Only Haven heroes, in my headcannon, have access to the spell on account of the Archangels and the secret to it is zealously guarded. Word of Light on the other hand is much more widely available.**

 **Well, I hope this answers those questions while spawning a lot more. Here's hoping for some fun theories!**


	13. A Slow Start

**Hum, de dum de doooo…**

 **Wait a second.**

 **Neb, are we forgetting something?**

 **Neb: Not that I can think of.**

 **7: Louise?**

 **Louise: A new chapter?**

 ***Ding***

 **7: Oh, carp!**

 ***A carp hits the author***

 **7: No, not that carp! We need to get the story underway!**

 **Louise: Called it!**

 **Neb: Yes, quite. Here's that gem you wanted.**

 ***Coughs up a small topaz***

 **Louise: Uh, thanks.**

 **7: Move it people! Stage 2, now!**

 **Neb & Louise: Coming!**

 **(These are to be a thing now. I do these as a source of amusement in my other story so I thought to bring these over for the fun. Ignore them if you just want to see the story!)**

 _A Slow Start_

"So, Tabitha, what are you going to be doing this summer?"

Kirche and Tabitha were walking through one of the courtyards, classes done for the day. Summer break was coming up soon, and the number of students around was steadily decreasing.

Tabitha shrugged, eyes on her book. "…Things."

Kirche sighed. "Oh, come now. Surely there's _something_ interesting going on. I mean, you're not staying, are you?"

Tabitha thought for a moment before pointing to something in the distance. "…Something wrong?"

Kirche glanced to where she was pointing.

"Is that… Neb?"

The hydra was pressing himself into the earth before the Staff of Destruction, every one of his heads fixated on it.

Tabitha started walking towards him. "…Curious."

Kirche agreed, and quickly moved to follow along.

They approached Neb slowly, careful not to startle him, until they heard him start talking.

"…Such items should not _be here_ , Dark One! They hold more power than any mortal can handle!"

His expression became pained, like he'd been struck.

"I understand; you would not have spoken if it was not a concern. But the mortals here know nothing of you or your kin. They are easily influenced!"

He snarled a moment later.

"You do not get to touch her! She is beyond your reach!"

His body slammed to the earth, as if a great weight was pressing on him.

"I… am aware… you have dominion over myself. ...I will do as you command, but it will take time."

Kirche and Tabitha shivered as they felt… _something_. It was like they'd been noticed by an enraged manticore, only much worse. The air seemed to press down on them with a heavy intent, judging them, and finding them wanting.

One of Neb's heads snapped to them.

"What are you two doing here?! How much did you hear?"

The presence they felt vanished, but it left them with a very angry looking hydra bearing down on them.

Kirche quickly moved to placate him. "We've been here barely five minutes."

Neb's expression didn't ease, his eyes fixed on them as another head joined in the glare. "What. Did. You. Hear?"

His tail slammed behind them, cracking the ground, and they knew it was either speak the truth or have it forced from them. Neb had never looked that angry before, not even after that fiasco with Louise.

"…Objects of power. Dark One. Influence."

Neb glared, anger seething in every eye... before he reined himself in, eyes closing, and let out a sigh.

"…I feared as much," he admitted, grumbling. "My benefactor must have hidden her presence from you to drag you in."

Kirche blinked. "Benefactor? You have a benefactor?"

Neb spat, disgust coloring his tone.

"Yes, I do. But to explain would take some time, and it is a matter that concerns only myself and Louise."

He turned away, starting to walk off. "Forget you heard anything if you know what's good for you. What I must do is not for you to know."

He started to head for the Academy's gates before one of his heads noticed Tabitha following him.

"I told you to stay away!" he growled back at her.

Tabitha kept reading her book.

He stared at the small girl for a few seconds, before deflating a bit. "Feh, fine! Do as you wish. Just remember that I warned you."

One of his heads snaked back towards Kirche, looking at her expectantly. "Are you coming too then?" he asked, defeat coloring his voice.

Kirche blinked before jogging to catch up.

As they arrived at the gates, Kirche asked the question that had been burning a hole in her head.

"So, when will we find out about this 'benefactor' of yours?"

Neb grimaced.

"You will find out when Louise returns and not a moment sooner. I'd take this time to reflect on your choice. Once I tell you, there's no going back."

He fell silent and the two girls shared a discreet glance before giving a mutual shrug. Louise was their friend now, and if it involved her, it involved them.

Time passed before Tabitha voiced one more thought.

"…When is Louise coming back?"

Had Neb not been smacking himself mentally, he'd have gaped at Tabitha.

"Not for… two days."

Kirche guffawed. "Do you plan on just sitting here for two days?"

Neb sniffed, trying to hide his embarrassment. "…Perhaps."

Tabitha glanced at him. "…Poor liar."

Neb turned away, not deigning to dignify the barb with a response.

Kirche walked over to Tabitha and handed her a small bag.

"Ok, you got him. Ten silver, like promised."

Tabitha smirked. "…Easy."

Silence descended for some time until Kirche stood, stretching her stiff legs.

"Well, I should have gotten the materials I asked for by now. I'm going to see if I can get my project started."

Neb snorted. "Is that an eagerness to work I hear? From Kirche von Zerbst? Is the sky green or did I finally go mad?"

Kirche sniped right back. "Oh, I'm sure you went mad long ago, Sir Neb, but I fear the sky is purple not green. Mayhaps you should grow another head; it would help your eyesight."

Tabitha giggled silently, overshadowed by Neb's own laughter.

"Oh, are you sure you'd rather not join Louise and Siesta in their training? Your help is much appreciated, but your wit could make you quite the negotiator."

Kirche shrugged. "I fear I'd burn too hot for such stuffy aristocrats. I'm not called 'the Ardent' for no reason. Anyway, good day, Sir Neb, I will see you tomorrow."

She left, but not before Neb threw in one last jab.

"Do try not to fantasize about my master tonight, I can smell you from the stables!"

A rock to a head was her answer.

Neb grinned while the head slumped over, at least it was a different skull this time. It was quite kind of them to lift his mood after the terrible news he'd received, so he decided to have a bit of fun with Tabitha.

"Tabitha… Tabitha… Tabitha!"

Tabitha looked up to see two of Neb's heads using the unconscious head as a puppet.

"How do you do?"

Tabitha just blinked.

"Not a fan of that huh? Well, unless you have something to do today, I will make you smile or eat grits."

Tabitha stared. "…Good luck."

And so, the day wore on.

– – – Louise & Siesta – – –

"So, is the report sent?"

Louise looked away from the window and smiled. "Yes, I just sent the bird. We should be able to get back to the Academy in a couple days."

Siesta smiled too. "That's wonderful news. Let me say goodbye to Uncle Scarron and Jessica and I'll start packing."

Louise giggled. "No need. The girls downstairs decided to pack for us as thanks for getting the inn a royal citation; we can leave whenever we want to."

Siesta grinned, though it was a bit forced. Louise's reassurances in her talk with her two days ago had helped her immensely, but she still wanted to keep herself occupied lest her mind dwell on what happened.

Louise saw through it, offering Siesta a warm smile. "Don't worry, Siesta; I may not be the best at helping you, or observant enough to catch half of what you saw... but I value you for who you are. What you did does not devalue you in my eyes any. Just like what happened did not devalue myself in your eyes."

Siesta smiled weakly. "Thank you, Lady Louise."

Louise chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. As you said, we're friends. Now then, I remember hearing that Scarron was making something special for us tonight. It'd be remiss of us to turn down the hospitality, don't you think? So just enjoy tonight, alright?."

Siesta got a bold look in her eye, before smirking slightly. Shifting her position into something a bit more sultry, she brought a finger up to her face, drawing it slowly across her lips.

"Oh, and how would you suggest I enjoy the night, my Lady?"

Louise blushed, flustered by the tone Siesta was using – not to mention finding her eyes drawn to the girl's soft, full smile. Was she…? No, it couldn't be.

"J-just enjoy the food and company! We leave at dawn!" she hurriedly clarified, waving her hands in front of her.

Cheeks burning still, Louise fled the room, leaving behind an oddly satisfied Siesta.

'She's so cute when she's embarrassed.'

Siesta followed Louise leisurely, mind easing as laughter and conversation resounded below.

– – – Two Days Later – – –

Louise and Siesta were nearing the Academy, cantering along the road at an easy pace. They'd been in no hurry to return to the Academy, instead enjoying the landscape and small talk as they rode. Now though, they could see the great spires of the Academy towers growing closer.

"You know what we tell anyone that asks where we went, right?"

Siesta nodded. "Yes, we tell them that you had family business to attend to and were required to leave for some time."

Louise stiffened at the word 'family' but she kept her voice steady. "And if they ask for details?"

Siesta shrugged. "The business was personal, and it is none of their concern."

Louise nodded. "Good, good. Now, for the fun part."

Siesta frowned. "Have you finally decided to give Neb a chance?"

Louise sniffed. "A chance, yes. Forgiveness, no. He'd better have a damn good reason for daring to insult her highness."

Siesta sighed but didn't speak again.

Louise huffed, mood ruined, and remained silent until they were at the gates of the Academy.

"Lady Louise!" One of the guards greeted. "Did you have a safe trip?"

Louise masked her ire behind a kind smile. "Indeed, barely a bump in the road."

She looked back into the Academy. "Have you seen my familiar?"

The other guard pointed to one of the towers. "He was over by the Earth Tower last we saw him. Haven't seen him since."

Louise nodded her thanks and spurred her horse towards the stable, Siesta following behind. They returned their mounts before Siesta excused herself to take their belongings back to their respective rooms.

Now alone, Louise started wandering the grounds in search of Neb. As she'd told Siesta, Neb had a chance to explain himself, but he'd better be more than just convincing if he didn't want to face her wrath. Or at least severe displeasure. She could get away with blowing up a head or two if he pissed her off again, she was sure.

She wondered if she should be worried that she considered that as therapeutic as she did, after everything.

"Oh, Louise!"

A very familiar sensation greeted Louise as her head was rudely shoved into a giddy Kirche's chest.

"I'm so happy to see you! It's been more than a week."

Louise tried to respond, but only a muffle escaped the soft, fleshy prison.

"Oh! Now that you're here, Neb can tell us what's been on his mind! Come on, he was with Tabby last I checked!"

Kirche dragged Louise along, happily ignoring Louise's increasingly weak attempts to escape. Louise, her need to breath outweighing the enjoyable sensation around her, fell back on a tried and true method.

"Ah!"

She aimed her leg and tripped Kirche up. They came to a rolling stop a moment later, Louise pinned under Kirche, but finally free to breath. Louise took some big gulps of air before hearing Kirche's voice.

"My, my, Louise. If you were that desperate to be let go, you should have said something."

Louise growled. "Oh, please. I couldn't breathe in those udders of yours, let alone talk!"

Kirche smirked in response. "Oh? And here I thought we were past such petty insults. Besides, you weren't complaining when I grabbed you; I didn't really pull you in until I started walking."

Louise's cheeks reddened at the claim, and even more so from realizing she hadn't really been trying to pull away at first. "W-what are you-"

"Hey, horny females! Either stop being so handsy with each other or copulate elsewhere!" a voice called out, cutting into the moment like a knife.

Louise flew out from under Kirche, acutely aware that her hands had been groping at Kirche's succulent breasts and firm butt. Kirche chuckled, enjoying the flushed Louise.

"Be quiet! I would rather kiss a zombie then be anything more than cordial with a Zerbst!"

The voice laughed. "Sure, sure. Anyway, I'm glad to see you unharmed, Louise."

Now that Louise could see beyond her embarrassment, her ire returned.

"Oh, it's you."

Louise raised a brow.

"But… what _exactly_ are you doing?"

Neb shrugged, an impressive feat for a large lizard holding himself in the air by two heads while striking a pose.

"Oh, trying and failing to amuse Tabitha here. She has quite the mask."

Tabitha waved from where she was sitting, holding a little paddle with a six on it.

Neb lowered himself back to the floor. "I assume Siesta is putting everything away?"

Louise grunted. "Yes. Why do you care?"

Neb sighed. "Hold on a moment while I get her then. I'll tell you everything once everyone's together so I don't have to repeat myself."

His other heads shrunk into his body, one of the heads shooting off towards the dormitory. Louise walked over to join Tabitha and catch up with what had been going on while Kirche just sauntered behind her.

A few minutes later, Neb's head returned with Siesta following shortly thereafter.

"Now that everyone's here," Neb began after greetings were exchanged. "I can get to the reason you're all here."

He nodded to the staff at his side. "As I was waiting for Louise and Siesta to return, it occurred to me that something strange had been buzzing at the back of my mind for some time. After two days of pondering, I realized what had been making the buzzing: Raelag's Staff."

He nodded to his brand. "On the same day, Sir Colbert came to me. He'd successfully deciphered the runes, and thus, my runic name."

Louise perked up, excitement outweighing her anger at Neb. "What do the runes say? I've been dying to hear!"

Neb sighed, not liking the eager looks everyone was giving him.

"The runic game given to me is… well, Rǫddálfr."

Stunned silence met his statement.

"Is… that important?"

Louise slapped herself a moment later. "No, sorry, it's just that the name is so like the legendary familiars."

Neb nodded. "Oh, so that's why Sir Colbert was so interested. Well, I can certainly say I'm no legend, but he also said that it tells something about the mage as well."

Kirche laughed. "No offense, Neb, but that kind of name has only been used in relation to the Founder's familiars. You're implying Louise is a Void Mage!"

Tabitha looked serious, more so then usual. "…Sure?"

Neb narrowed his eyes. "Very. Sir Colbert told me he found the translation in one of the most ancient parts of the library, where documents from the founding of the kingdoms reside. He was very, very clear about the age."

Silence greeted him again, this time the air filled with a sick anxiousness.

"Y-you can't be serious! The Founder is the only Void Mage! The Void element was lost ages ago, and it's sacred beyond anything save the Founder's ashes! Don't lie to me!"

Neb waited out Louise's anger with a calm gaze. "I understand why this would worry you, Louise. In the days before your arrival, I took the time to have Colbert explain your religion to me in more depth. He said that, should you in fact be a Void Mage, the church would rather see you burn as a heretic making a false claim than allow you to show that the Void Element is not so unique."

He stopped her before she began screaming. "Please, Louise, listen. You can blow me to smithereens after this, but for now, I ask your ears."

Louise was seething, desperate rage and denial verging on eruption. Hands settled on her, Tabitha, Kirche, and Siesta holding her back and reassuring her at the same time.

"Please, continue Sir Neb," Siesta spoke at long last. "What does Lady Louise being a possible Void Mage have to do with the staff?"

Neb sighed gratefully. He was terrible with these things.

"Thank you, Siesta. Now, the reason it is important lies in what I recently found out about the staff."

One of his heads moved back around him, lifting the staff in his jaws to place it before the assembled girls.

"The main gem in the head was actually a gift from one of the oldest dragons of my home. It was given to Raelag as a reward for his millennia of service to Malassa and her children. What I didn't know, and I can't blame Raelag from keeping this secret, was that the gem was a direct link to Malassa herself."

Blank stares met his declaration. Neb waited for it to set in... and then whacked himself.

"Right, I haven't explained how my world differs from yours, so you don't understand the significance."

He sighed before taking a deep breath.

"Ok, so, in my homeland, there are eight Dragon Gods that rule over the world. Malassa is one of the six 'lesser' dragons that rule over the elements of the world and is the one worshiped by Raelag and his kind. In other words, this gem gives a direct link to a god."

That got the expected reaction.

"Girls, calm down, there's no need to make Louise try and offer it cake."

Tabitha was beside him, staring at the odd scene of Kirche, Siesta, and Louise in baptismal robes trying to offer the staff a chocolate cake.

"…They're fast."

Neb nodded. "Yes, they are. Anyway, back to what I was saying."

He cleared his throat while the other heads offered the girls their original clothes.

"The moment I found out about my runic name I went to find the staff. It was inert when I started questioning what Malassa was planning. Sylphid was trying to get my attention when a black mist flowed from the staff and Malassa decided to answer."

They started reaching for the robes.

"Stop that. She has no interest in influencing any who wield the staff and her power only extends as far as six feet. Anyway, she greeted me and proceeded to ask me what her brothers and sisters were doing here."

Siesta gulped, voice shaking.

"B-b-brothers and s-sisters?"

Neb sighed. "Yes. Malassa has two sisters and three brothers, Shalassa, Sylanna, Elrath, Arkath, and Ylath. Each of them represent an element."

He started pacing.

"Malassa is Darkness, and is known as the Keeper of Deadly Secrets. Shalassa is Water, and is known as the Sacred Serpent. Sylanna is Earth, and is known as the Life giver. Elrath is Light, and is known as the Radiant Judge. Arkath is Fire, and is known as the Great Bastion. Finally, Ylath is Air, and is known as the Keeper of Secrets, separate from Malassa's own knowledge."

He stopped, eyes closed.

"Malassa has tasked me with finding artifacts that have direct links to her siblings that have appeared in this world. She knew only what the artifacts were, but not where they could have appeared or where they could be now, except that they were very likely to have arrived where their respective element is strongest."

He turned to the girls.

"This is where I require your help. My brand forbids me from being separated from Louise over too far a distance and I do not know these lands. But, this mission is of the utmost importance. The artifacts are too strong for any mere mortal to wield, and Louise can only use the staff because I am well versed in its intricacies."

He bowed.

"Please, help me."

Silence met his plea, a common theme throughout this meeting.

"Umm… Sir Neb?"

He raised one of his heads.

"Um, why would you be so afraid to have them here? I understand the power part, but the dragons sound mostly benevolent, even the secret keepers."

Neb smiled. "True, Siesta, they do sound that way. But, each of them has several aspects they represent, and not all of them are so gentle."

He gestured to the staff. "Take Malassa for example. The aspect I've interacted with most is the comforting darkness, what you see when you sleep in a warm, safe place. Other aspects of hers include the maddening darkness and the murderous darkness. Each of those represents the descent into insanity that lack of light can bring and the death that assassins carry in the embrace of darkness."

Siesta gulped, face paling to a near deathly pale. "I… understand."

Neb's head lowered again, waiting for their decisions.

"Are we allowed to tell the Princess of these items?"

Another of his heads went up. "I wish we could. Her resources would be invaluable, but I fear the temptation of the power in the artifacts is very strong. Even the strongest heroes I'd ever known had trouble wielding lesser copies, let alone the genuine articles."

Louise sighed. "But, this will help the kingdom?"

Neb smiled. "It will help _everyone_."

Louise shared looks with her friends, nods eventually being exchanged.

"Very well, we will help."

Neb's every head shot up in glee.

"But–"

His glee faded.

"We ask that you give us time to prepare. If what you say is true, then we are not powerful enough to even try and find these things. Descriptions of what we're looking for would help immensely too."

Neb sighed, he couldn't begrudge them this.

"Very well. I'll give you time to ready yourselves, but I will give you only three months. At the end of summer break, we must begin the search."

He gazed at Kirche and Tabitha. "You two must join us in the training as well. I will not have weaklings on this journey and I have no wish for either of you to die for this. Louise is already involved by owning the staff, but you can still walk away."

Kirche sighed, but she smiled all the same. "If this is that big, I can't just say no. Besides, how many people can honestly say that they've traveled across the lands on a grand quest to save the world?"

Tabitha stepped forward. "…Want to help."

Tabitha would never admit it, but her want to join was entirely selfish. She'd made friends with them, something she hadn't had in ages, and Neb's words about Sylanna and Elrath had kindled an emotion she hadn't felt since her mother fell ill.

Hope.

Neb grinned. "Very well, if you're sure."

He straightened. "Now, I'll start us off with what Malassa told me we were seeking."

* * *

 ** _"My sister, Shalassa, has been linked to an ancient staff. The jewel in its head holds a small part of her that connects her even across time and space."_**

 _She chuckled._ **_"They call it the Cleansing Staff."_**

 _An image of a blue and silver staff with a massive ocher gem as its head flashed before his eyes._

 ** _"My other sister, Sylanna, has been linked to an age-old sword that had a part of her infused into its creation. The blade itself is her connection."_**

 _A green blade appeared before him, the metal and golden brown handle brimming with bloodlust._

 ** _"It's called the Sword of Nemesis. Her worshipers were never very original."_**

 _Neb chuckled, but she squashed him again before continuing._

 ** _"My,_ dear _brother Elrath somehow got his servant's most powerful weapon to come here. It is an ancient rapier that has his scales worked into the guard, the defense impenetrable – It's forging required three of the Angels' best smiths."_**

 _A beautiful rapier of silver and gold appeared before his eyes, filling him with warmth and wrath in equal measure._

 ** _"They call it the Angelic Alliance. And I thought the tree elves were plain."_**

 _Her voice chuckled again._

 ** _"Anyway, Arkath, being the hot head he is, helped his dwarven followers create a grand axe with some of his blood coursing through it, making it burn eternally."_**

 _A red, white, and black battle axe shone before him, blade pulsing with veins of magma and fire burning on its edges._

 ** _"It's called Mountain Cleaver. Fitting considering what Arkath likes to do."_**

 _She sighed._

 ** _"And, my youngest brother, Ylath, grew interested in a sect of monks that were trying to protect Asha's Tears. When they were slain and a staff built using their ashes, Ylath added his essence to its creation on a whim. As such, he is bound to it and greatly enhances its ability to conceal whoever holds it."_**

 _Neb felt her smirk._

 ** _"It's called The Oblivion. Something clever for my rival in the domain of secrets."_**

 _Her presence focused in on him completely._ **_"Search them out. My family will become aware of this eventually, and we cannot be afforded to turn away from our Uncle for even a moment!"_**

 ** _"Do not fail me, Collector."_**

* * *

"As you can tell, some of these are more troublesome then others."

Neb had drawn rough sketches of the artifacts into the dirt before them, the girls studying them intently.

"I recognize the axe," Kirche said after a moment to consider. "I saw it when my family visited the fire mountain temples a few years ago. If we want to find it, that's where to start."

Neb nodded. "Alright, we at least have a lead. Anyone else willing to share?"

The others remained silent.

"Alright then. Go and rest, I'm sure you all need to process what I've told you. But, Louise, please stay here. I need to tell you something that I was thinking on before you left."

Louise glared at him, but nodded to the Kirche and Tabitha, letting them know they could listen to him.

"You too, Siesta. This is for Louise's ears only."

Siesta looked at Louise for direction and bowed at Louise's nod. Once she was out of ear shot, Neb surrounded Louise with his necks.

"You said that I had no right to disparage the Princess, that in your shoes I would have done the same."

His eyes glowed in the shadows his body cast.

"In that, you are correct. It is hypocritical of me to insult someone that has so obviously helped you when I'd have done the same."

A smirk appeared on Louise's face.

"But, I was more than correct to question her decision to send you. In fact, I worry for the zeal that you show in your loyalty."

Louise growled. "She came to me for a favor!"

Neb snarled. "A favor you were ill qualified to grant! If not for Siesta's presence, I would have refused to let you leave!"

One of his heads spat. "But, that argument is not what I wish to tell. I wish to tell you of a girl from my world – one who's story I remembered when I saw how you acted around your Princess."

Louise looked around her, trying to lock eyes with the ever-shifting heads.

"Her name was Ard. She was a little girl growing up in a small city of the Griffin Empire. It was one which bordered the lands of the Necromancers as well as Ygg-Chall – my home. The city was not close to the Imperials, and so the locals were far more accepting of trade with the neighboring realms than most others. Now, to start this tale, let me tell you that Ard had lost her parents to a plague that had ravaged the city early in her life. She was left to live as an urchin on the streets in the aftermath, barely able to survive."

Louise felt a hint of sympathy, but tried to hold onto her ire for the time being.

"One day, she was sneaking through the market district in search of food. She'd tried for sympathy that day, but no merchant was feeling generous, and so she grew desperate enough to look for unguarded stock."

The heads started to hiss when they weren't speaking.

"But, when she found a target and took what she needed, she was spotted and had to run. She was still small though, and the guards were upon her before she could hardly think. That was when another voice interrupted them."

Neb's eyes became venomous.

"It was a visiting alchemist, a son of the local nobility. He'd come down from his lab to ask what the commotion was and even offered to pay the price of the stolen food if it made them go away. As you might imagine, this captured Ard's admiration."

Louise was starting to feel her ire overcome with a combination of anxiety and curiosity.

"She followed him back to his lab, and when he found her, he decided to use her as a gopher to retrieve dangerous reagents. She didn't think she was being used, she thought she'd been taken in. He didn't treat her any worse than a normal servant for a time, but when he realized that she defended him from his detractors, he got an idea."

Neb's teeth were bared in open snarls.

"He hired a traveling mercenary to train her into his personal attack dog. She thought, in that poor mind of hers, that she was repaying a debt she held. She was soon enough put to work in political assassinations, she was sent out on raids, and he had her massacre miners. He'd effectively brainwashed her into his loyal servant, all by pushing on her the idea that she was paying a debt. That it was a matter of honor. That she owed him everything.."

Louise finally found her voice.

"How… how do you know all this?"

Neb smiled, a terrifying sight.

"I know, because she became known throughout the Empire and beyond as Death's Claw. My… master at the time took issue with the title, as it was the title used in Ygg-Chall for the greatest their spies. He sent me and a few agents to find her and kill her."

Louise gulped. "Why send you? You're not built for stealth."

Neb laughed. "Why, because I was the only one they had who was immune to the poisons she used. We did eventually corner her and her master, but only the leader of the group and myself survived the fight."

His heads finally pulled back, light from a setting sun greeting Louise. Had it been that long?

"Ard told her master to run, but he had run in the skirmish, not even bothering to try and bring her with him. She was heavily injured, missing a leg, and with one of her arms hanging on by a sinew, but she was lucid enough to ask if we could hear her story."

He sighed heavily. "And that's how I know. The leader wanted to kill her quickly and make sure none could have access to her body. As such, I snapped her neck and we cremated her, giving her all the rights we could on short notice."

Louise's voice was quiet when she spoke. "What… happened to the master?"

Neb chuckled humorlessly. "He was caught by an Imperial investigation a week later. His crimes were revealed and he was beheaded."

Louise sighed in relief, but needed to point out the obvious.

"Henrietta… is _not_ like that man."

Neb nodded. "Her character was never in question. It was her decision to send you that I railed against. But, as you've told me, she seems to be just your age and is practically running the country while her mother is ill. Frankly speaking, she is not experienced enough to be anything more than a short-term solution."

Louise protested immediately.

"Then I will help her, as I swore! We may need to find the artifacts, but this is still my home, and I will help my friend!"

Neb sighed, amused. "I'm not telling you that you can't help your friend. I'm just asking you to not jump into things blindly. Good leaders can command, but _great_ leaders can listen. Do not be a mere tool that she can call upon; question her, make her think situations through. Don't let her emotion overcome her reason. You will help her more doing that than you will by blindly following her every wish, as Ard did."

Louise stood silent, thinking. Much of what Neb said was true, and she could tell that he didn't want her to end up like Ard. She sighed. He really was just concerned for her, and she could hardly fault her familiar for caring about his master's well-being.

"I understand. I apologize for my vitriol and anger I showed you, though I stand by my determination to help Her Highness."

Neb bowed a single head at the apology. "And I apologize for again trivializing something so important to you. Centuries of life make one jaded, but that is no excuse. Just, make sure you remember the friends beside you as well. They will help you and the Princess if you just let them."

Louise nodded before turning on her heel and leaving to go to sleep. Neb watched her go before sighing in relief.

'Praise be, that was nerve wracking. I'm no good talking to them normally – this last week showed as much. I'm just glad she understood what I was trying to say.'

He glanced to the rapidly darkening sky, mind churning.

'We have a lead on but one of the artifacts. I can only hope the others shall reveal themselves with time.'

– – – Tabitha – – –

She was alone in her room, a bottle of wine she'd procured from the cooler in the commons beside her as she read up on locations the artifacts might be. She'd already completed her other mission, and now she could finally focus her attention elsewhere.

A gust of wind broke her reverie.

"Lady Charlotte, the King has another assignment for you."

Tabitha's eyes narrowed.

"Worry not, I bound the room when I arrived."

Tabitha nodded slowly and held out her hand. The messenger placed a rolled piece of parchment into her hands and she scanned it before lighting it ablaze.

"He expects regular reports until the mission is done. If that is all, I will take my leave."

Tabitha stopped him. "…King's staff?

The messenger glanced at the tall scepter beside him, the contours resembling an hourglass.

"Yes, he knows of what occurred and decided to loan it to me so that I could enter undetected. May I take my leave?"

Tabitha stared a moment longer before her face became stoic and she nodded.

The messenger disappeared without another word.

Tabitha waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone before reaching for the wine.

'King's staff… The Oblivion… must defeat Uncle to retrieve it.'

She popped the cork on the wine and took a desperate swig. This would be fun to explain.

The moment the wine hit her gut, Tabitha's mind became hazy. Her body began to heat up and she felt strong surge of lust run through her blood.

She had one last conscious thought before her mind was drowned by hormones.

'Love potion!'

– – – Louise – – –

Louise had just reached her floor when the sound of shattering glass came from Tabitha's room. Jolting in panic, she rushed to the door, knocking. It was probably nothing – knocking over a bottle or something, but she was still highly strung from the past week, and from Neb's revelations.

"Tabitha? Is everything alright?" she called, fidgeting.

Silence was her answer.

"Tabitha?"

She tried the door, surprised to find it unlocked.

"Tabitha, I'm coming in!"

She opened the door slowly, before she nearly slammed it behind her, rushing forward.

"Tabitha!"

Tabitha was on her knees; a broken wine bottle a small distance from her. The red liquid had spilled onto the floor, but what surprised Louise was Tabitha's current state.

She was panting heavily, cheeks rosy and sweat starting to run down her skin. She'd cast aside her cloak, shoes and stockings, and her shirt was half off.

Tabitha's eyes turned to meet Louise, a lustful haze that Louise thought only resided in dreams floating in Tabitha's eyes.

With the speed of a sparrow, Tabitha leapt from her spot and tackled Louise to the ground, snuggling into Louise's stomach with pleased mewls.

Louise tried to pry her of, but any attempt just made Tabitha grab tighter. Louise kept calling her name too, trying to snap her out of this haze, when Tabitha started trying to pull Louise's skirt off.

Louise did the only thing she could.

"Siesta! Help meeeeeeeeeee!"

It was going to be a long few days.

 **I'm going to go ahead and answer any questions individuals we have in a moment, but let me explain the artifacts. Originally, I wasn't going to have anything from HoMaM show up outside the staff and Neb. But, then I realized we'd basically be rehashing the FoZ storyline like so many others. Now though, we have very dangerous items that need to be kept away from people in general. Their specific capabilities are to be explained later, but let's just say we'll still have all the fun we can with this concept.**

 **Anyway, I would like to thank Poliamida and Guest: Kiden for providing translations. I ended up going with the Old Norse version because it fits better.**

 **Hm, the only question I can find was the questioning of Malassa's siblings. That is explained in the story above, but even they have progenitors. Those won't come into play for a long time though, so it's nothing to be concerned about.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the late update (school for me, work for our beta RandomNPC247) but I hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Now, onto Winter Break!**


	14. Journey's Beginning

**…Wow, it's been a while hasn't it?**

 **Sorry for the overly long delay everyone, I've been very much caught up in things, school chief among them, but I come to you now!**

 **Well, we all remember what happened last time! I'm not sure who'll have more fun, me or Neb.**

 **Neb: Oh, I most certainly will.**

 **7: We'll see about that.**

 **Now, onto the show!**

 _Journey's Beginning_

"What in the name of all that's good is going on here?!"

Neb stomped his way through the Academy, every eye trained on Louise. She was curled up on the ground, rocking back and forth while Siesta was holding down a hog-tied Tabitha. Kirche, who was laughing at the scene she'd stumbled on, answered. "It looks like poor Tabby drank a Love Potion. Louise was the first person she saw, so now Tabitha's been… amorous, to say the least."

Neb growled. "Can you snap her out of it? I have to work you two to the bone along with Louise and Siesta before I'll feel even the slightest bit satisfied."

Kirche shrugged. "I'm no potions expert, I'll tell you that much. I do enough to get by in that class, but Love Potions are pretty advanced."

Neb sighed. "Siesta, I'm going to assume you don't know anything either?"

Siesta shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm just a maid, so don't expect me to know anything about mystic potions; just normal poultices are enough for me."

Neb sighed again. "Louise is indisposed, as is Tabitha, so there go our two best sources of knowledge. So... Siesta, why is Louise curled up like that?"

Siesta shrugged. "Well, as Lady Zerbst said, the Love Potion has made Lady Tabitha very amorous. I heard Lady Louise scream for me and I found her being… cuddled for lack of a better word. She's been despondent ever since."

Neb heaved a groan. "Is there anyone here that can help? I'm still wondering how Tabitha drank that potion to begin with."

Siesta spoke again. "I found a shattered wine glass in her room. That's where Lady Louise first found her, too."

Kirche hummed. "Wine? The only wine in the dorms is laid out for the students at the end of the day, and even then, it's only there if asked for. Tabby doesn't drink wine much, even at parties, so why was it there?"

Neb snorted. "I won't be able to pick up a smell either. The bottle fragments would reek of alcohol."

They stood in silence, contemplating, when one of Neb's heads spotted blonde curls hiding behind a wall. Curious, the head snaked around to get a better look, but the curls disappeared.

Neb's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Kirche, can you just buy Love Potions?"

Kirche blinked. "No… they're very much illegal. In fact, mind altering magic's outlawed in every kingdom. Someone had to have made it, but there's no way the professors would be dumb enough to do it. Osmond takes that rule very seriously."

Neb's heads slowly smiled. "Is there anyone else here that could make it? Say… someone blonde?"

Kirche's eyes narrowed. "Montmorency – she's the only one that could. Her entire family's made up of potion makers, so she could get any chemical or reagent she wanted."

Neb nodded. "Then we have a suspect. Siesta, keep an eye on these two. We'll be back with Ms. Montmorency shortly. Whether bound or not is up to her."

He muttered the last part, but was heard clearly all the same. Kirche shrugged and whistled, Flame galloping up to her a minute later. She took the lead and Neb soon found himself staring at a door far too small for him to fit through.

"Are you sure she's through here?"

Kirche huffed. "This is where she's roomed, yes. I know she's on the third floor at least, so you get stretching."

Neb grunted and did just that, his neck stretching until he could see into every window. Most of the rooms were empty, the wonders of summer, but he found one that was occupied by a whirlwind of activity.

 _That's the blonde girl from earlier. Maybe this is Montmorency?_

He didn't have to wait long. Kirche slammed the door to the room open and all activity ceased. Neb couldn't hear anything, but it looked like they were shouting at each other. He wasn't sure why Kirche was shouting, but a quick test of the window found no wards.

He slowly pushed the window in and he finally heard them.

"-ou even care?! So what if Tabitha's gotten hit by a Love Potion, she'll give you all the black mail of Louise you could ever want!"

"I care about Tabitha; don't you dare tell me otherwise!" Kirche shot right back. "And I care about Louise too. I don't want their reputations dragged through the mud because of something like this!"

Montmorency laughed. "You care about Louise?! That little failure of a mage that got lucky at the summoning ritual? You've been her worst enemy since any of us stepped foot in this Academy and now you decide you'll be all friendly with her? Don't make me laugh! You just want to get in close and ruin her – that's what every attempt at reconciliation between your families has ever been."

Kirche flinched back, pain in her eyes, but she ground out an answer. "I do care… I care more than you'll ever know. I was blinded by my family's past and I made someone innocent of the misdeeds suffer for it. She may not be the most approachable, or the easiest to get along with, but she's more honest than anyone here!"

Neb's head leaned back, surprised at the vehemence in Kirche's voice. Montmorency was too if her face said anything. "…What happened to you, Zerbst? You led all of us in putting her down, but now you turn tail and pretend to be friends with her? You're a hypocrite."

Neb could tell Kirche was considering burning the other girl to ashes, so he stepped in. "Kirche, we'll talk about this later."

Kirche jumped and Montmorency almost put her head in the ceiling. "Where the hell did you-"

She blinked and had all color drain from her face when she saw Neb's grinning head. His throat rumbled with a humorless laugh. "So, Ms. Montmorency, I have a little problem that I think you can help with. See, a friend of my master is quite ill, and I hear you can make miraculous medicines. Would you be so kind as to help?"

Montmorency put on a brave face. "Why should I? You can't pay me to do it, and you have nothing to convince me to do it for free."

Neb grinned, but Kirche spoke. "Montmorency, we're pretty sure you've made a Love Potion; something that's illegal. I may need proof, but Neb here? He doesn't. He'll just wring it out of you, no matter what he must do, while I search your room. We both know you're bad at hiding things when you're in a panic."

Montmorency glanced between Neb and Kirche, gulping at the promise of violence in their eyes, before fear for her life won out. "I can't help!" she protested quickly, hands coming up. "Even if I wanted to, I can't! I need a water spirit's tear to make the cure, but there's nothing even resembling a water spirit anywhere near here!"

Kirche was unmoved. "Monmon, there's long been rumors that your family has a water spirit's lake on their land. After all, your mother provides cures for any mind-altering magic that the crown runs across."

Montmorency hissed. "Where did you hear that?! Mother's every meeting is discreet!"

She clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide, but it was too late. Kirche smirked. "I knew it. All right, Monmon, go get ready. We'll be taking a little visit to your family estate today. Cooperate, and I won't speak of this to the Headmaster… or Guiche."

Montmorency nodded slowly, her face falling as she resigned herself to it. Neb, his work done, slipped out of the room and back down to his body, before padding over to the dorm entrance to wait. A minute later, Montmorency stormed towards the stables, Flame hot on her heels. Kirche walked up to Neb and they started walking back to Louise and the others.

Silence echoed around them, only their steps meeting their ears. After a minute, Neb finally spoke. "I… heard some of the argument. Did you really torment Louise before?"

Kirche sighed. "I did, much to my shame."

She looked up to the sky. "I don't know if Louise told you the story yet, but her family and mine have been rivals for centuries. It started when one of my ancestors seduced a noble that had been engaged to one of the Valliere women. The Valliere's demanded recompense, but my family didn't take well to their 'holier than thou' attitude. So, they refused, and the tensions have simmered ever since."

Neb put a head on her shoulder, weighing her down and leaving her to stumble slightly for a moment. "If it's hard to say, you don't need to. I'm sure you'd much prefer to focus on getting this resolved rather than think on old wounds."

Kirche shrugged herself out from under his head, before smiling up at him, her unhidden eye watery. "No… no, I should get this off my chest. You don't know this story, so you don't have any prejudices. I can finally say what I want."

Neb pulled his head back, watching her with it. "Very well. Do you need to sit down?"

Kirche shook her head. "No, I'm ok. Just… thinking on where to start."

She looked back to the sky, face nostalgic. "I came to the Academy at the same time as Louise. As I said, our families had been rivals for so long, I don't even know if my family can recall the name of the groom we pulled away. But, I'd been raised to think of the Vallieres as rivals at best, enemies more likely, and that any chance to put them in their place should be taken – and gladly at that."

Neb sighed. "So that's what Montmorency meant. You did as you were taught, and didn't so much as think of Louise as a person."

Kirche nodded. "On the nose. I didn't know that Louise was a… Void mage – god that sounds weird to say – and reveled in her failures at water, wind and earth. I thought that we shared an element and that I could show her up. I'd even been writing letters to my family, preening at how much better I was than Louise. My family had the gall to praise me for it."

She laughed, the sound hollow. "Then, on the day we started practicing fire spells, Louise exploded again. I was so stunned at her being unable to do anything right that I had a stroke of genius. Cruel, cruel… genius."

Her eyes were watering, but she stopped Neb before he could speak. "I'm okay, just reliving some bad memories. Anyway, when the smoke cleared, I started taunting her with the title 'Zero' since I didn't think she'd get a true runic name. Everyone, and I mean everyone, joined in, but she just looked… broken. We didn't see her for a week after that."

As she had spoken, the two of them had both slowed down, until they had just come to a stop. Neb was laying on the ground now, his heads hanging. "She… tried to end it, didn't she?"

Kirche nodded, blinking back tears as they stubbornly blurred her vision. "She did. I don't know how, and I don't want to know. All I could do was stare in shock when Professor Colbert brought her into class and she had bandages everywhere. I think it clicked then, what I had done. I'd driven someone that I'd never met, never knew, to nearly do the unthinkable. To try to do it. All because of a damn feud where even the great grandchildren of the instigators are nothing but dust."

She sighed, tears finally falling. "I stopped writing to my family after that, only sending responses to their letters. I even stopped tormenting her, but I tease when I'm trying to be friendly and everyone else picked up the slack I'd dropped. But… she was stronger than that. She'd fallen once, but she flew into her studies and didn't let anyone, even me, give her a hard time. Honestly, I thought the banter was a good thing; that we'd been able to bridge the gap. …Sappy isn't it?"

She looked to a contemplative Neb. "I don't really know why… but I fell in love. Something in that spirit spoke to me, made me want to get close to her, and I can honestly say that after seeing her so open and honest after you came, it's love. But… I'll never have her heart. She was raised to think of me as an enemy too, and she always struck me as loyal to her family. Not to mention how terrible an impression I made early on." She gave a single, weak sounding laugh, shaking her head. "She'll probably be courted by some nobleman that wants closer ties to the Vallieres, while I get stuck in the same situation. There are days I've cursed being born a girl."

Neb huffed. "I think you sell yourself short, Kirche. You shouldn't be ashamed of the past, for it's already happened. If I remained ashamed of every crime I committed, I would have long thrown myself to the tide. All we can do is move past them and try to redeem ourselves."

Kirche stared at Neb for a long time before giggling. "I forget how old you are sometimes. You are wise, even if your antics and demeanor say otherwise."

Neb grunted. "It's not age, it's experience. But, as I said Kirche, I think you give yourself far too little credit. You've already started your redemption, before I even arrived. Louise can see it; she's just too stubborn to admit it. Keep going, and I feel she may just surprise you."

Kirche blinked, eyes starting to water all over again. "That… that means more to me than you'll ever know. Thank you, Neb."

Neb chuckled, mind playing with the information.

 _Louise… what is it about you that pulls these girls to you? Even the great heroes of my home didn't inspire such deep affections, at least, not in so many. I do wonder though… who will you choose?_

He shook his head. "Thank you for sharing, Kirche. I'm glad to hear that you've thought on this, but I also want you to realize that the path you seek is already beneath your feet."

He stood back up, stretching a couple of his necks. "Now then, let us hurry to Louise's side and pray that Tabitha hasn't been able to escape her bonds." With a soft chuckle, he leaned one head down to whisper to Kirche. "Not that her aggressive cuddling seems likely to be a threat to more than Louise's sanity."

Almost as though his words had summoned it, a twister ripped to life in the air nearby, with a black and white speck that could only be Siesta flying into the air.

Neb gaped for only a moment before moving.

He took off running, his strides shaking the earth, while Kirche ran towards Louise's last known location. She rounded the corner and took off at a dead sprint, shoulder-checking a flying Tabitha that was trying to envelope a screaming Louise.

Kirche rolled along the ground and pinned Tabitha under her body, sighing as Tabitha mewled in despair. She sighed, looking down at her friend. "We need to get you that cure soon. This is starting to get a bit absurd."

"You think you've got it rough, Kirche?! I'm the one she's been trying to molest for the last two hours!" Louise screamed, face flushed from equal parts exertion, panic, and embarrassment.

Kirche glanced up at her with a smirk. "Oh, hey, you can talk. Listen, we'll be going to get the antidote for this in a few minutes, so get your traveling clothes!"

Louise stared at Kirche as if she'd gone mad. "There's a cure for this? I thought Love Potions had to wear off!"

Kirche shrugged. "Montmorency's the culprit, just so you know, and it just so happens that she knows how to make a cure. Unfortunately, it requires a water spirit's tear as one of the primary ingredients, and we don't have any of those handy in the school. As for the ride there, well, we'll need Neb."

Tabitha unintentionally made Louise hurry along by reaching out to her with a dopey grin. "Louise…"

Dust hung in the air, Louise vanishing and leaving a cloud of dust in her place. Kirche hummed. "That training of Neb's really works. I haven't seen anything move that fast since dad heard we'd be having roast boar."

She shrugged, keeping her hold on Tabitha, before she waved at the returning form of Neb and a disheveled Siesta. "Sorry about Tabitha, Siesta. She's not herself at the moment, but we'll be getting her fixed soon enough."

Siesta nodded, fixing her headband while Neb got a better look at Tabitha. "Wow, she's really out of it. The change is almost disturbing... no, on second thought, it is disturbing. The emotion is just… strange to see on her."

Kirche sighed. "You're telling me. I've known her the longest out of all of us and I've never seen her like this, ever."

Neb grunted, but smiled when he saw Louise. He frowned again when he saw her outfitted in what could only be called a hodgepodge of metal, everything from plates to pans tied to her small form.

Siesta sighed at the getup. "Lady Louise, you don't need to go to such lengths. Sir Neb will hold down Lady Tabitha until she's better."

Louise trembled, the metal clanking. "I don't doubt Neb; I just fear underestimating Tabitha."

Neb grudgingly agreed, the twister that sent Siesta skyward fresh in his mind. "Understood. Kirche, get ready. I'll tie her up with my necks, and after that, track down Montmorency so we can get on our way."

Kirche nodded slowly and Neb took his position. "Louise, stand right in front of me. The moment Kirche lets go, you duck."

Louise didn't have a choice in the matter; Neb was just letting her know as a courtesy. He dragged her in front of him with one head that had wrapped around behind her, before holding her in place. Kirche rolled off of Tabitha and Louise hit the floor as a blue streak flew at her. There was a screech and the sound of constricting flesh before all was silent.

Louise patted down at herself to make sure she hadn't been caught, before she stood up, flailed for balance, and turned to Neb. She fell over laughing at the sight. Neb was there, trying to remain dignified as five of his heads struggled to contain the petite girl in a pretzel-like mess.

Louise was just as petite, but the irony was lost on her.

Neb's lone unoccupied head grunted. "Montmorency, now! We must get that cure before this demon rips off my heads!"

Louise chuckled and skipped off, the metal on her body clanging together. Siesta sighed as she followed along, but an affectionate smile graced her face, with more emotions than Neb could easily describe in her simple look.

He frowned, not sure what that smile meant.

 _Did something happen on their mission? I thought everything had gone well, or at least, they didn't say anything. Looks like I may have to pry things out of them, again._

He sighed and stomped after them, Kirche striding beside him as extra insurance while Tabitha continued her valiant struggle in the name of Very Lewd Things.

– – – On the road – – –

Neb sighed for the fifth time that hour. "Montmorency, how much longer to your estate? Tabitha doesn't seem to be tiring any time soon, but I most certainly am."

Montmorency huffed, shifting in her saddle as they cantered along. "We passed into my family's lands an hour ago. We'll be at the lake in ten minutes, so just be patient."

Neb muttered a foul curse that made Louise chuckle. She'd abandoned the metal after Neb had managed to keep his heads for the first hour, and Sylphid had finally joined them a bit farther into the trip. She kept to the back, though with regular glances at Tabitha's still squirming, struggling form. Kirche and Siesta stayed by her for obvious reasons.

Kirche hummed. "Louise, I forgot to ask. How did that trip with your family go? You and Siesta came back all smiles, but you've been reserved ever since. Did something happen?"

Louise sucked in a breath, aware that Neb was listening to them. "Well…"

Siesta answered. "We ran into some… undesirables on the way. We were forced to deal with them, but we were unhurt."

Kirche stared. "So, you two… killed them?"

Louise nodded slowly, knowing the truth was far crueler. "We did… though I'm not proud of it."

Siesta gulped. "It's… hard to think about. We try to keep our eyes forward, Lady Zerbst, if only to sleep soundly."

Kirche didn't know how to respond, so she turned her gaze forward. Louise kept her gaze away from her familiar, but she could feel Neb's eyes drilling into her. There would be a talk later, she just knew it. Or perhaps even a Talk, complete with the capital letter, going on for hours.

Montmorency, ignorant of the conversation from where she was at the front of the procession, yelled back to them. "We're here! Dismount for now though - we'll have to approach on foot."

Neb shrugged. "A water spirit this may be, but I'm not letting this girl go. Should I do so, I fear for my master's purity."

Louise gave him a solid whack with the length of wood she'd brought to help fend off Tabitha, drawing a laugh from the hydra. Montmorency ignored them and continued into the woods they'd entered, everyone else following behind.

Eventually, they started to slosh through a mire of mud and water until they climbed out of the muck and stood before a large, pure blue lake. Montmorency took out a knife, pricked her thumb, and placed the drop of blood on the back of her frog familiar. As it disappeared beneath the surface, she turned to her blackmailers/victims. "The spirit demands a sacrifice of blood for a meeting. But, I cannot guarantee that it will give us a tear, and it will not give it for free should it do so."

Neb growled, but no words were exchanged. The frog returned shortly after it had left and the lake began to bubble, the water rising into the form of a much older and bustier Montmorency with no regard for shame.

Well, there wasn't anything to see so it wasn't that bad.

The water construct stared at them. "Why have you summoned me, daughter of the Montmorencys?"

Montmorency stepped forward. "We have come requesting not but a single tear, milady. Our friend is under the effects of a powerful potion and we cannot wait for the effects to wear off."

The construct was unmoved. "I refuse. The effect will wear off after the moon finishes its cycle three times. Such a use of a piece of myself is a waste."

The construct turned around, already starting to lose its form, before Montmorency tried again. "Please, milady!" she called. "We beseech you for your aid, and we offer ours in return!"

The construct froze, before turning and reforming. "You offer your help? Tell me, what could such as you offer me?"

Neb stepped forward. "We can offer much, spirit."

The construct flew towards Neb, the spirit's voice like thunder. Each word came with a flash of white within its watery form. "Hydra! What is your kind doing here? All of you should be long dead!"

Neb held his ground. "The status of my kind is irrelevant. We have come for your aid, and we are willing to hear the price of that aid. Speak, and we shall answer."

The spirit glared through the water, the lake rolling in anger. "I should drown you here and now, Hydra! Your kind poisoned my waters until the day the Montmorencys arrived and I was bound to them in servitude in exchange for being rid of you!"

Neb's eyes glowed in the shadows. **"Kusema maneno yako roho! Mwingine mimi waomba haki ya misaada ambayo roho zote za maji lazima kujibu! Hivyo asema mama yako Shalassa!" (1)**

The spirit recoiled as if struck, the construct's eyes widening. "You... you are from the old land. You are not of the pests that once infested this lake, you come from the world we spirits were birthed in!"

Neb narrowed his eyes further. "I will invoke the right, and you cannot refuse. You can get something out of this, but refuse again and I will force my hand."

The spirit glared. "Invoke it and I will fulfill the duty. But I will flood these lands and drown all that lay in them should you do so!"

Neb snorted. "That's why I asked you to state your terms."

The spirit glared again before rounding on Montmorency. "I will give you the tear, but you must seek out the Ring of Andvari! Return it to me and I will consider the debt and insult repaid!"

Montmorency nodded vigorously, nerves apparent. The construct reached towards its eyes and gathered a single drop of water to its fingers. The drop had a soft shine to it, held entirely separate from the rest of the spirit, and it slowly moved the tear over to Montmorency. The moment that it dropped the tear into her vial, the spirit fell back into the water, disappearing completely from view.

Monmorency almost collapsed, but Kirche caught her and escorted her back to the horses. Louise and Siesta followed along, stunned into silence, until Neb flopped forward, panting hard.

Louise was beside him instantly. "Neb, you ok?"

Neb panted a bit before speaking. "I honestly didn't think that would work. I was getting angry at the stonewalling and I just hopped in without thinking. She... was much more intimidating than the water elementals I've slain."

Louise stared at him. "You've... killed elementals? That's possible?"

Siesta put a hand on her shoulder. "Sir Neb's from another world, remember? His rules and our own don't always match up."

Louise nodded slowly. "Oh... right. Well, let's get back to the Academy and get this sorted out."

Neb nodded and got to his feet, somehow still holding on to a giggling Tabitha. The trip back was made in silence and they watched as Montmorency made the cure, Tabitha tied up and weighed down.

Finally, after a long day, the cure was forced down Tabitha's throat and the familiar mask of stoic calm settled onto her face.

Tabitha looked around. "...What happened?"

Louise sighed. "I never thought I'd be happy to hear that emotionless voice again. Alright, who wants to explain?"

Kirche raised her hand, grinning. Now that the actual situation was done with, she could take at least some enjoyment out of embarrassing one of her friends. As she started explaining just what Tabitha had been doing, not to mention what she was trying to do – in great detail – they got to bear witness to a truly rare sight.

With each word, each detail, Tabitha's face grew pinker despite her expression not changing. Finally, as her face seemed to twitch and tremble at the strain of holding herself back, she grabbed a book off of Montmorency's shelf so she could hide her face. Louise walked over and pulled her into a hug, just rubbing her back for comfort.

Kirche wished she could have some way to record the scene, but now they needed to get Montmorency's reason for even making the potion. She knew full well that making it was illegal and she'd face expulsion or worse if she'd been found out.

The reason better be good, too, if only so Neb and Louise would show mercy.

Siesta, in a bold move, started the questioning. "Lady Montmorency, what would possess you to create this potion? I may know little of its origins, but I'm well versed in the laws and customs of this land. Were we to report you, it would be a scandal that your family could not recover from – especially with you giving it to a fellow noble."

Montmorency glared at her. "You dare speak out of turn?! I could have you hung!"

Louise appeared before her, staring down the taller girl. "Do not. Threaten. My handmaid." Her voice was quiet, but somehow more frightening for it than had she been screaming. "You have no power over my servants, and a criminal can't very well order anything from prison. Now, answer the question."

Montmorency was suitably cowed, her new found fear of Louise making her miss the blush on Siesta's face. Kirche and Tabitha on the other hand were a bit more observant, and vague stirrings of jealousy took root in their breasts.

Montmorency straightened her cloak, swallowing. "I... I made it to try and get Guiche to stop flirting. He's been going on late-night rendezvous with any floozy that so much as bats an eye at him and barely pays attention to me, his own fiance!"

Kirche tilted her head. "Oh, right... I forgot you guys were promised to each other, what with all the two timing."

Tabitha, face back to normal, shrugged. "...Personality?"

Montmorency rounded on her. "Exactly! He's such a flirt that I have to resort to such extremes just to get even a little attention! And, he has the gall to avoid me until the floozy he was wooing slaps him, then comes crying to me! How can he call himself a noble?!"

She huffed and Louise stared at her, decidedly unimpressed. "You're no batch of flowers yourself. You yell at him even when he's not two timing you, and you always ignore his displays in public. Act like that and it's small wonder he goes elsewhere."

A vein bulged on Montmorency's head. She'd been dragged through the mud and blackmailed in addition to having her carefully laid plan backfire. She would not let this final insult stand.

Her wand appeared in her hand, the light brown wood pointed squarely at Louise. "Louise Françoise de la Valliere, I challenge you to a duel of honor! I will not have my name and reputation dragged through the mud in this farce any longer!"

The room was silent, only the tapping of a curious Neb at the window making any sound. Louise stared uncomprehendingly, stunned by the sheer audacity in Montmorency's challenge.

Tabitha broke the silence. "...Not allowed."

Montmorency held her pose. "This is a challenge between one noble to another, yes, but the duel will take place outside of the Academy. There's no rule that bars that."

Louise glanced to Tabitha and saw her shake her head. If Tabitha had surrendered so easily, it must have been true. Still, she hardly needed to accept. It might be different if it was an actual insult, or if she was accusing Montmorency of something without proof, but here? All Louise would need to do would be to go to the princess, or even the headmaster.

Still, as Siesta had said, Montmorency's family wouldn't be likely to ever recover from the scandal, and Louise wasn't so cruel as to subject them to that. "And what do I gain from this duel? What do you offer as a wager?" she asked. Just beating her down might honestly be the easiest way of handling things.

Montmorency smirked. "Simple, I offer my extensive inventory of reagents and recipes as well as my services for the foreseeable future. I demand that, should I win, this entire farce is forgotten and you grovel before me in humility. Then, you'll fire that handmaid of yours."

Louise's eyes steeled. "A petty duel, but I will accept. Your services will be much appreciated, Montmorency. As the challenged, I lay the time and place: outside the west walls, twenty minutes from now. We will decide further terms there. Don't be late."

Louise spun on her heel and marched out of the room, Siesta following dutifully while Tabitha and Kirche shook off their stupor and ran after them.

Montmorency was about to have her butt handed to her after all, and they couldn't miss that.

When they got outside, they found Louise explaining the situation to Neb, who looked bored.

"Sprite tits," he spat, annoyance clear in his voice. "She's a water mage, right? Unless you're willing to kill her, I don't think you should use any of the magic I've taught you. Make the terms a free-for-all and Derflinger will see you to victory."

Louise groaned. "You think I don't know that? Come on, Neb, I'm not that ignorant anymore!"

Neb chuckled. "At least you admit you were ignorant. You still are, don't get me wrong, but you can think. Now then, go see this duel to the end and we'll call it a day. Tomorrow, I'll start working those two into shape along with the normal lessons."

Louise chuckled and strode away, Siesta again following silently. Neb watched them until they were out of sight, sighing when they were gone. "They've really changed. I didn't notice it with trying to think up preparations for the journey, but they're so much closer."

Kirche nodded. "They had to kill. I had to do that once, when I was traveling, and it changed me. I only had my father for comfort at the time and we're closer than any of my family to this day."

Neb nodded. "Killing never held the same significance for me. I'm a predator, always have been, so taking life was only natural. It wasn't until centuries after I'd started walking the world that I could see why some became so distraught after taking a life."

Tabitha looked to the sky. "...Need to talk, share the burden."

Neb smiled at her, mischief in his eyes. "Noble, but for another time. Come along, let's head for the dueling grounds. I wish to see how she fairs against a mage by her lonesome."

Kirche shrugged. "Montmorency's just a dot class water mage. She can't do much more than the basics."

Neb laughed, his every head shaking in mirth. "Why, Kirche! It is the basics that so often mean the difference between life and death! More than one braggart's learned that the hard way."

– – – Dueling grounds – – –

There were a few other people there when Louise arrived. Neb, Tabitha, and Kirche were expected, but a few of the remaining students must have spotted them leaving and grown curious. Guiche was there too, though he appeared quite nervous from what Louise could see.

Montmorency stood apart from the others, her purple cloak rustling in the slight breeze. She looked quite haughty, all things told, and even looked down her nose at Derflinger, the talkative sword silent for once in his sheathe.

Tabitha, despite being friends with Louise, stepped forward. "...Volunteer as judge."

Montmorency glanced at her. "Bold, but you are friendly with her. Only a neutral party may serve, so I ask Sir Malicorne to act as our judge."

The portly boy stumbled forward, sweat pouring down his face. "M-montmorency, are you sure you-"

"Yes I want to duel her!" She snapped. "Now get this underway so I may destroy her!"

Malicorne gulped but took his place. "D-does the challenged have any preference for weapons?"

Louise shook her head. "I care not. All goes, whether it be magic or fists."

Malicorne looked to Montmorency. "Does the challenger accept these terms?"

Montmorency huffed. "Gladly, I will defeat her no matter the trick she uses. No mage can lose to someone that relies on such things."

Maliconrne muttered something before speaking again. "This is a duel for honor, but the rewards require both duelers to remain alive. Crippling and lethal strikes are forbidden. Are there no other terms or objections to this duel?"

The field was silent.

Malicorne sighed and pulled out a kerchief to wipe his brow. "Very well. When I give the signal, you may start. Remember, you fight only until the other surrenders or cannot fight. Any questions?"

There was silence again and Malicorne relaxed, doubtlessly amazed he was able to keep his voice firm. Louise and Montmorency took their positions, took the customary bows, and held themselves ready.

Neb, being the hydra he is, interrupted. "Wait, Lousie!"

Louise almost leapt out of her skin, rounding on her familiar in a fury. "What?! What could it possibly be?!"

Neb smiled at her. "Blessings are allowed. Have fun."

Louise stared at him before a sinister smile rose on her lips. She turned back to Montmorency and took her stance again, hands gripping Derflinger. Montmorency had her wand by her side, the light wood glinting in the sun.

Malicorne spared them both one last glance before raising his hand. "Ready..."

Louise's eyes narrowed, the only blessing she'd been able to learn thus far on her tongue.

"Begin!"

Montmorency's wand whipped forward. "Aqua Scutum!"

A lance of water materialized and blurred towards Louise, the smaller girl rolling aside and drawing Derflinger with a rasp of steel. Louise crouched and muttered her own spell. "Endurance."

She could feel her muscles and skin harden as the blessing took effect, her grin growing while she dodged another blast of water. "That all you have, Monmon?"

Montmorency snarled. "Only friends can call me that! Now sit still and take your punishment!"

Louise laughed and continued to dance around the streams of water, knowing full well it was all Montmorency could do. Compared to Tabitha's spells, the water was slow and inaccurate, lacking the necessary force to do much more than bruise.

Montmorency was swiftly tiring, her rage growing further as her spells continued to miss. "Fight me coward! Are you such a failure that even honor escapes your mind?"

Louise rolled her eyes, standing still and waiting for once. Montmorency seized the opening and sent a thin beam of water at Louise, aiming straight for the other girl's head. It wouldn't kill her, but it'd win her the match.

Except, Louise just held up a hand and swatted the water away.

Everyone, Neb included, stared at the scene. Even Louise, who'd just performed the feat, stared at her hand.

She turned to Neb. "Uh, Neb? Endurance is only supposed to increase how well your body takes physical damage right? It's not supposed to let me do that."

Neb nodded. "That's... correct. Uh, let's finish this up and then we can talk, ok?"

Louise nodded and charged the still stunned Montmorency. Louise's months of training made themselves known as she crossed the gap in five strides, swinging Derflinger at the long curls Montmorency had long cultivated.

Montmorency stumbled backwards, but the steel blade still sheared a chunk from the mass. While normally Montmorency would deliver justice on anyone that touched her hair, she was too busy stumbling away from the chops and slashes Louise was sending her way.

But, when Louise got too excited and thrust at Montmorency, a blast of water met her wrist and sent Derflinger spinning away. Montmorency thought that would give her the upper hand, but a fist slamming into her side said otherwise.

Kirche blinked at the blow. "When did she learn how to throw a punch? That's frowned on if a girl does it, no matter the country you walk in."

Neb snorted. "It wasn't easy. I had to explain to her that you needed every advantage you could have in a fight and that chivalry had no place on a battlefield. She was... resistant, but I made her see reason."

Kirche nodded and looked back to see Montmorency kneeling on the ground, that one punch driving the air out of her. Louise stood over her, hands up, when Neb yelled at her. "Finish it, Louise! We need to get ready for tomorrow!"

Louise nodded and pulled back her arm, lashing out with a haymaker that cracked against Montmoreny's cheek and sent her to the ground, unconscious.

Silence reigned over the field for a moment before Malicorne found his voice. "T-the winner is the challenged; Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière!"

Neb blinked, what did he say?

Tabitha, sensing his confusion, explained as only she could. "...Complete name, only for formal announcements."

Neb nodded, silently wondering why she needed so many. He ditched the thought when he saw the young fop Guiche run to Montmoreny's side.

Louise stared at him while he examined Montmorency, trying to find what the other girl saw in him. "Do you know why she asked for the duel?"

Guiche shook his head, rubbing the bruise growing on Montmorency's cheek.

Louise sighed. "Then you're a greater fool than I thought. She fought this duel because she's been dying for your attention, but you go about and flirt with any pair of legs you see. I admit, she shares part of the blame for so blatantly ignoring your gestures when in public and criticizing you, but you ran instead of resolving them. You both have a lot of work ahead of you if this relationship is going to work."

She turned and spoke to Malicorne. "When she wakes, tell her to meet us in the Vestri Court tomorrow at dawn. Her wager will be paid then."

Malicorne nodded, and she retrieved Derflinger before walking back to her friends. She ignored everything else until they stood before their dorms once more.

Neb got the first word in. "Congratulations, Louise. You've procured us a valuable teacher and likely saved her from a poor fate while you were at it. You're so generous under that mask of yours."

Louise shook her head. "I did nothing. It's up to them to figure things out, and I believe that having even a fraction of Montmoreny's knowledge will be valuable."

Siesta started toward the door. "I shall prepare a bath, milady. Lady Tabitha, Lady Zerbst, would you like me to prepare one for each of you as well?"

Tabitha and Kirche nodded their agreement, but Kirche had a request. "Go ahead and put them in the same room. Put up a curtain for privacy, but it'll save you some work."

Siesta blushed, but nodded and entered the dorm. Louise flushed as well, but Neb's heads were starting to coil around her again. "Tabitha, Kirche, go on ahead. Neb wants to talk to me."

She didn't see anything further as Neb's coils blocked her sight, his golden eyes trained on her as the heads shifted. He said nothing until the sound of a door closing echoed and he got straight to the point.

"You killed."

Louise sighed, feeling his gaze swirl around her. Derflinger finally decided to talk. "Wait, the little lady actually killed someone? Blood on the hands and everything? Well I'll be a spit roast! I'm proud of you!"

Louise sighed. "Not the time, Derf. We'll be dealing with a lot more trouble in the months to come, so be patient. You'll get your chance to help, I'm sure."

Derflinger cackled before going silent, Louise pulling her gaze to the one unmoving head. "I did not kill in the sense that I touched them. But... I did order his death."

Neb's eyes narrowed. "So Siesta actually did the deed. Still, if you were the one to order it, the blood's on your hands as much as hers."

Louise looked down, feeling the sick loathing she held for such cruelty rise in her gut.

One of Neb's heads brushed her shoulder. "I'm not calling you a monster, Louise. I'm far more a monster than you could ever be, no matter how many you come to kill. All I ask is the truth. What happened?"

Louise kept her eyes down, not looking up even when another of Neb's heads settled onto her shoulder. Instead, she quietly recounted the tale, her desire for someone she truly respected, considered family, to tell her everything was okay.

The reassurance of her friends could only do so much after all.

Neb listened patiently, eyes growing sad as the tale continued. He sighed when she finished. "Honestly, I wish I could have ripped the Count's throat out myself. You at least learned what gambling brings, but that's irrelevant for the moment."

The head on Louise's shoulder rubbed against her cheek, the sleek, cool scales soothing the tears that had unknowingly fallen. "You did the right thing, Louise. He had threatened both your life and Siesta's while daring to harm you. No one, least of all I, would ever tell you it's wrong."

Louise sniffled. "Can... can you tell me how to stop the dreams?"

Neb looked at her and was stunned.

 _She's... so young. I don't think I ever realized it till just now, but she'd just be setting out from home in Asha. She's so brave, so strong... but there's so little I can do._

He sighed, cursing his powerlessness silently. "I wish I could, Louise. I can't say I ever suffered the dreams myself, but I've seen many in your situation throughout my life. Every last one of them has dealt with it differently, and you must find a way to cope as well. Tell me, is there something you like to do? Something that soothes you?"

Louise nodded slowly. "I... like to sing. I hum during training, as you know."

Neb smiled, every head holding a tenderness that he never knew he had. "That sounds wonderful. If you don't mind, I'd like to join you. I haven't stretched my chords since the Exhibition and I fear I might grow rusty if I don't practice."

Louise smiled and wiped away her tears. "I... also like being around the others. They make me feel a lot better."

Neb chuckled. "Even an amorous Tabitha?"

Louise smirked. "Not as much, no. But, I still like being around them, even if they annoy me from time to time or get a little too snarky for their positions. I'm glad they'll be coming with us."

Neb laughed. "Indeed. Now, I suggest you tell your fellow trainees what happened. I'm sure this show of trust will only benefit you on the road ahead."

Louise shook her head. "I will, but should I warn them about what's going to happen tomorrow?"

Neb's eyes took on a wicked gleam. "No... let's call it... a surprise."

Louise shook her head, already pitying her poor friends as Neb let her go to relax for the night. Her steps carried her to the floor she shared with her friends and she entered the one room that was set aside for bathing.

As expected, two curtains hung from either end of the room, obscuring all save the shadows of her friends while Siesta finished with the tub that wasn't hidden from view.

Siesta turned to her. "Ah, Lady Louise, you're just in time. The water's nice and warm for you and I put in the bath salts already. Shall I leave you to bathe?"

Louise smiled at her. "I'll be fine, Siesta. Go ahead and get yourself cleaned up too; I'm giving you the rest of the night off. Remember, you'll be joining us in the morning."

Siesta giggled before bowing. "Very well, Lady Louise. I bid you good night."

Louise rolled her eyes and hugged Siesta as she walked by, whispers brushing the maids ear. "Neb knows. Go ahead and talk to him, he'll help."

She felt Siesta nod and the maid left, leaving Louise to disrobe and slide into the glorious water. She scrubbed herself clean, using some extra water Siesta had graciously provided to refill the tub, before lounging in the luxurious feeling.

Silence was their only companion outside the lapping of the water until Kirche spoke. "So, what's the menu for tomorrow?"

Louise laughed. "You'll see. Neb wants to keep it a surprise."

Tabitha's voice drifted through the air. "...Surprise?"

Louise chuckled. "Yeah, he wants to make sure you two don't run I guess. You've only been with him when he needed you for my lessons, but he's a real taskmaster."

Kirche's laugh floated in the air. "Well, that's true I guess. Hope he doesn't kill us before we set out on our grand adventure!"

Louise didn't answer, sinking until her nose was under the water.

Tabitha noticed the silence. "...Louise?"

Louise blew some bubbles before surfacing. "Guys... I have something I need to tell you. Do you mind if I check the door first?"

A splash sounded on her right. "...Clear."

Oh, so that's where Tabitha was. Louise shrugged it off and launched into her tale again, neither of them interrupting as she went through her adventure in the capital. When all was said and Louise fell quiet, there were two splashes of water and the sound of rustling fabric, before a towel wrapped Kirche and Tabitha parted the curtains.

Louise ignored the tantalizing sight, instead focusing on the lukewarm water. She didn't move, even as her friends embraced her from behind. Kirche went first. "Louise... I can say that I know what you're going through. I had to kill someone when my father and I were ambushed while traveling once. I was inconsolable for weeks, you know? It took a lot of talking with my father before I came back and even now, I still wake up from nightmares once in a while."

She squeezed tighter, just trying to comfort the smaller girl. "You're no more a monster than I am, and neither is Siesta. We're all just doing what we can to see our friends and family again. That's all there is to it if you ask me."

Louise put a hand on Kirche's arm. "Thanks, Kirche. You're still annoying, but I'm glad we're friends now."

Kirche chuckled, but she let Tabitha go next. Tabitha, her face oddly soft, took the opening. "...Louise, you're not bad. Killing... It's a part of being a noble. It hurts, it's horrible... but, having friends and family helps. So can a goal. I'm glad we're friends now. It's... the best decision I've made in years."

Louise almost fainted right along with Kirche. It was the longest string of words Tabitha had ever spoken to them, and she was rubbing her throat from the disuse. But, Louise still giggled. "I'm flattered. That's the most I've heard you talk about one topic, I think, so I'll take that as proof of how much you care. Thank you, Tabitha; I'm glad we're friends too. I mean, I'd hug you both, but it wouldn't quite be appropriate at the moment."

Kirche laughed and let Louise go, Tabitha separating with a small smile on her face. There was a bath to finish before they got dressed, and they could chat for the rest of the night.

– – – Morning – – –

Louise and Siesta woke up before dawn, as was routine for them. But, rather than start their stretches like usual, they woke both Tabitha and Kirche, having to drag the latter out of her room, before starting.

Kirche and Tabitha weren't entirely prepared for the number of stretches they started with. Even Tabitha, who'd been an undercover agent for her uncle for years, was sore after finishing.

Then they were introduced to true horror when Neb arrived with various practice weapons, practice armor, logs, and other such things.

To make a long story short, they were put through Louise's daily regimen, albeit much lighter to accommodate them. By the end of the day, both could barely even stand.

Oddly, they were not alone in these exercises. Guiche and Montmorency had been forc...volunteered to join them. Well, Montmorency was just there for the potions but Guiche had begged to join so he could, in his own words, 'be a man worthy of his fiance'.

Frankly, Neb was just glad he had fast feet. It wasn't fun chasing the other lot when they were exhausted.

...Neb was perhaps a bit of a sadistic trainer, but he got results. Even if Guiche ran and sparred rather than take part in the other exercises

The process repeated itself day in and day out, even when the Academy grew to be almost completely empty. Only a few other students remained and it was considered prime viewing to watch a hydra whip his students into shape.

But, strange news came to them halfway through the break. During one of their practice sessions, where Kirche was calling for mercy, Neb noticed Raelag's staff shining. At first, he only thought the sun was glinting off of it, but a familiar whisper made him bare his teeth.

 **"Collector, speak or be crushed once more."**

Neb snarled, Malassa's voice echoing through his skulls. "What could it be, Dark One? I am making the young ones ready for the journey ahead, interruptions are less than ideal."

The staff flashed with Malassa's derisive snort. "I don't remember giving you permission to sass me. Do so again and you know what will happen."

Neb growled but held his tongue. Malassa, smug victory flowing from the aura suffusing the staff, continued. **"Good boy. Now then, I have additional instructions about the artifacts. As you stand, there are not enough people to retrieve and hold the artifacts, you need one more."**

Neb rounded on the staff at last, drawing his trainees' gazes. "You ask me to spread this knowledge further?! This world is in danger beyond reckoning just with these three, another only brings it closer to ruin!"

Malassa's power pulsed from the staff and Neb slammed to the ground. **"I'm well aware, hydra. But, it is necessary – for any single mortal to hold more than one is to bring death to them. I believe you are... fond of these babes and do not wish to see them annihilated."**

Neb glared at the staff, but had to grudgingly conceded. "Very well... but I choose who to tell!"

Another derisive snort echoed through his mind. **"Far be it from me to tell you how to do things. Just remember the price of failure and get on your way!"**

The final command roared through Neb's mind before the aura and light vanished, leaving Raelag's Staff inert once more. Louise, feeling Neb's frustration, jogged up to him. "What happened?"

Neb growled. "I must find Sir Colbert. I have been... instructed to add another to our journey."

Kirche, having flopped to the ground, added her two cents. "That sounds great! Having a triangle class fire mage with all kinds of experience would really help!"

Tabitha, lying opposite Kirche, sighed. "...Gone."

Neb's heads snapped to her. "What?! What do you mean he's gone?"

Tabitha gestured to the sky. "...Research trip. Went to Gallia for the summer."

Neb's frustration boiled to the surface and he let out a frustrated screech, making Louise and the others cover there ears. Siesta, seeing just how annoyed he looked at the news, removed the cotton she had taken to wearing in her ears during training. "Sir Neb, are there no others we can bring? I understand that you want to bring people you trust, but it seems we have little choice."

Neb hissed. "Quite right, Siesta. Do you have any suggestions for who we can bring along? Someone I can whip into shape before long?"

Siesta hummed. "Um, the only one I really know is Chef Marteau, but he has his job to worry about. Outside of that, none of the other servants have anything resembling aptitude for what your asking."

Kirche had an idea. "How about... we ask Montmorency?"

Louise objected immediately. "You want us to bring that gossip monger?! The entire continent will know every tidbit by noon!"

Kirche shrugged. "She's bound to render us service and she never stipulated for how long. We can use her poor wording against her, but that doesn't engender much loyalty."

Tabitha shook her head. "...Guiche better."

Everyone stared at her, so she cleared her throat. "...Son of general, has idea of stakes. Montmorency's a good idea, but she doesn't like us."

Neb nodded. "That... makes sense. Loathe as I am to admit it, especially since I can't take Osmond as a backup. Very well, I'll go find that miserable fop. At least Verdandi will make for good company."

Neb turned and strode towards the dining hall, calling over his shoulder that they could take a break. As for why he was going to the dining hall, well, Verdandi was always by his master's side and his scent was easy to track.

The servant by the gate was gracious enough to grab Guiche, but Neb found himself staring at both him and Montmorency, one more peeved than the other.

Neb stared at Montmorency. "I do believe I asked for Guiche, and Guiche alone. What are you doing here?"

Montmorency huffed. "We're sorting out our issues. Besides, anything you tell him, you can tell me."

Neb rolled his eyes. "I'm not one for drama, but what I have to say is important enough that you may never speak of it. Should you do so, I am honor and duty-bound to kill you. Still want to hear this?"

Montmorency's eyes wavered, but Guiche's hand found hers and the uncertainty disappeared. "Without a doubt."

Neb almost smiled. "Well, looks like Louise's advice to Guiche is paying off. Very well, come with me. After this, you'll be stuck with us, for good or ill."

He walked back the way he came, Guiche and Monmorency following. It was only after they'd joined Louise and co. that Neb began the tale once more.

After all was said and done, Guiche and Monmorency looked contemplative and shocked respectively.

Guiche went first. "So... it's a journey to save the world?"

Neb nodded. "Yes, but don't get any delusions just yet. This search is for a threat unknown to your people, there will be no accolades."

Guiche hummed again and Montmorency went next. "Why? Why would something like that...Malassa ask us to do something like this? It all seems fake if you ask me.

Louise rolled her eyes. "Normally, I'd agree with you, but I've felt Malassa's presence and she's dead serious. Now, what are your answers? Neb's less than patient with his training as is and we may be adding two fresh faces."

Guiche and Montmorency turned away, their voices bare whispers. They discussed their options for several minutes before turning back to their audience.

Guiche's rose shaped wand appeared in his hand. "Very well! I, Guiche de Gramont, will join you on this noble quest! There can be no higher honor than saving the world, even if none but my fiance and compatriots know of the deed."

Verdandi popped out of the ground, squeaking a similar declaration. Neb chuckled at the silly mole before looking to Montmorency.

The blonde grumbled what sounded like a complaint before giving her answer. "I am honor bound to render you services, and this continues into it. There may be no glory here, but I'm sensible enough to realize when grudges are useless. I will help, as much as a potion maker with barely a spell to her name can."

Neb damn near started dancing. This had gone far better than he'd thought!

Louise almost joined him. "Wonderful! That means you'll have to join our training, as you must realize, but I'm always glad for the extra help."

Guiche posed along with Verdandi. "Of course, it is I after all! What more could you need than a Gramont?"

Montmorency rolled her eyes. "What I need more of is a diamond, not a Gramont."

Guiche gripped his heart in faux shock, making the congregation groan. Neb, smelling an idea amongst the buffoonery, turned to Louise. "Louise, how fast can you saddle six horses? I believe there's some shopping to do!"

Louise just stared at him, but Siesta caught the gleam in his eyes and hid a smile. "Six horses will take us an hour, Sir Neb. A trip to a town large enough to procure all of what I believe you want will take a twelve hour round trip."

Neb smiled at Siesta. "Bless you, Siesta. I'd fear for all of us if you weren't so on top of things."

Siesta curtsied at the praise, a blush across her cheeks. Louise, finally catching on, smiled. "Alright! Come on, people, we have things to do! If you think of anything that may help your training, let Siesta know!"

Louise sped from the field, Siesta helping Kirche and Tabitha back to their feet before beckoning for Guiche and Montmorency. Neb watched them go with a grin that swiftly morphed into a slightly unhinged smirk.

Payback time.

– – – Town – – –

Louise yawned as her friends and new comrades perused the armory. They already had all the actual training weapons back at the Academy, but they needed two new sets of heavy leather armor. That, and Siesta had to get some new knifes and darts while Tabitha and Kirche had to pick out their weapons of choice.

It had been a long day for all involved, but it had been hilarious to see Guiche stare when Siesta's new weapons disappeared into the folds of her dress.

Now, she was leaned against the wall with Siesta beside her, humming whenever she saw one of them approach a weapon. "So, who do you think is going to get what?"

Siesta shook her head. "I don't know. They could choose anything they liked, far as I could guess."

Louise grunted. "Well, thanks for trying so hard."

Siesta rolled her eyes and Louise turned back to the others. It wasn't much longer before they'd made their purchases and Louise almost sighed at how obvious they were.

Everyone had a sword. Everyone. Sure, Tabitha got a spear to compensate for her height and Kirche had grabbed an axe 'for the irony' but only Monmorency grabbed an extra weapon besides those two, a simple arming sword.

Siesta giggled. "Oh, they have no idea what's going to happen, do they?'

Louise shook her head. "No, no they don't."

Their comrades were blissfully ignorant of this conversation, each reveling in the thought of going on an adventure the entire ride back to the Academy. That is... until they saw Neb with all the training gear out and a whip in every maw.

He smiled at their horrified faces. "Terribly sorry for this, but we are on a beyond tight schedule. I will literally have to whip you into shape if we're going to do this, so please don't think ill of me. I've already lost several limbs to my diminutive master as is."

Louise blew off his shoulder for that remark and the others finally realized what they'd signed up for.

Let's take a moment to pity them, for Neb would not.

– – – End of summer, Vestri Court – – –

Steel rang against steel that evening, the two opponents fighting ferociously. Any experienced fighter could point out a thousand flaws in each, but for a bare three months of training they were excellent.

The blond scraped his sword down the length of his opponent's blade, knocking their blow aside and rushing into their reach. A block of ice rose to meet him, but he leapt away and took his hard earned stance once again.

"Enough, we're done for tonight!"

The fighters froze before relaxing, weapons put away and bows exchanged shortly thereafter. They turned to the applause of their audience and bowed again before their instructor padded forward.

Neb smiled at them. "Well done, Guiche, Tabitha. Gucihe, you did well to infiltrate her guard and it was only her ice that saved her. Keep it up."

Guiche smirked and puffed out his chest, Neb rolled his eyes at the preening. "Guiche, remember what I said?"

Guche deflated. "Right... sorry."

Neb snorted before speaking to Tabitha. "Tabitha, you did great as well. You kept him at your pace for the majority of the fight, but you need to be a bit more aggressive. Spears are great at defense, but they'll be useless if the fight drags on too long."

Tabitha nodded, sweat rolling down her face. It was better when she first started out, especially since she couldn't even thrust the thing right at first.

Neb turned to the others. "Alright, now that all the spars are done and I've dispensed my wisdom, what's left?"

Montmorency's hand shot up. "Everything's done. Our supper's almost ready too."

Neb laughed. "Good! I knew getting Siesta to teach you spoiled brats how to cook was a good idea! Now then, Louise, would you do the honors?"

Louise stepped forward, the months of training she'd been through showing in her confident gaze and greater stature. ...In other words, the training and the diet that went along with it had made her grow another three inches. Still small, but she could put Tabitha's forehead at eye level now.

Louise looked around. "Alright, that's all for today! Tomorrow, we set out on our journey, so let's have a feast tonight!"

Her friends, though Montmorency and Guiche were more acquaintances, cheered and rushed towards the big pot of stew with a variety of sides sitting by. Neb and Louise watched them go, Neb smiling at her. "Look how far you've come. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be doing something like this so soon, let alone with you taking the lead so easily."

Louise smiled back, gesturing for one of his heads to come down to her. When one did, she pulled him into a hug, carefully avoiding his spines. "Thank you, Neb. I... I don't think I'd be here if not for you."

Neb felt a laugh rumble in his throat, his other heads wrapping her in an embrace as well. "Don't be so hard on yourself, I'm proud to have seen you come as far as you have. We still have a long way to go, but I'm glad to see it through at your side."

Louise nuzzled his scales, smiling into his golden eyes. "I'd have it no other way. To think, mere months ago I was ready to give up. Now, I have friends, a purpose, and a familiar that I can honestly call family."

Neb didn't answer, a sniffle escaping his snout. Louise chuckled. "Neb... are you crying?"

Neb nodded. "I am, that speech... it was so moving. I'm not so proud as to hold back tears."

Louise laughed and pulled away, her face radiant. "No need to cry. We have friends to face what comes for us, and we have each other too. Come on, let's go eat before everything gets cold. I'd like to have my last night on a bed be a happy one."

Neb laughed too and they joined the party, laughs and conversation bouncing off the Academy walls well after the sun had set and the stars appeared in the black silk.

– – – Academy Gates, Morning – – –

They gathered by the gates well before dawn, familiars and masters alike checking their things. Neb, being the largest and most durable of them, had volunteered to take on the burden of weaponry and camping supplies while other, smaller items were divided among the horses and other familiars.

It was nice, having three large familiars. Their horses could go for much longer without all the extra weight holding them down, and it matched up with the familiar's stamina rather well.

Louise looked over her own gear one more time. Several sets of clothes, Derflinger, a spear and an axe, Raelag's staff, some dried snacks, a flask, and so on. Her most uncomfortable change were the riding pants that everyone had on, a life of wearing skirts making the pants feel constrictive.

She looked around and nodded at what she saw. Everyone looked ready to go, and it was all thanks to Siesta and those lessons she gave on organization. Even Kirche had all her stuff in order for once.

Neb's voice called over the rustle and whispers. "Alright, I'm assuming everyone's ready?"

Louise noted everyone lean away from him unconsciously, winces crossing their faces. She shared a hidden smirk with Siesta before Neb spoke again. "Alright, good. Now then, as you know, our first destination is the Fire Mountains of Germainia. We are seeking the Mountain Cleaver that has been transported to this world from my own. Once it is found, it will remain in our care until such a point that the other artifacts are found and sealed away. After that, we may return to our lives."

Guiche's hand shot into the air. "Just as a reminder, why can we not leave the artifacts with someone we trust?"

Neb sighed. "Because, many of the artifacts earn their names for a good reason. And even then they hold the power of gods in them and the world cannot hope to match that power. To have it fall into evil hands will spell the end of the world as you know it."

He looked to each member of the party, staring each in the eye. "This will be a long journey. I cannot say when it will end, but we will doubtlessly not return to our homes for some time. Optimistically, we'll be on the road for a few months, but it's more realistic to expect us to search for years."

He was met with nods and he felt pride swell in his chest. "I didn't want to sugarcoat it. But, I believe that all of you are up to this task and ready for this journey. Let us go and see this world. Let us see that which makes it beautiful and terrible in our search, and when we return, seek to fix what we can. What say you all?"

Louise gave a cheer right alongside the others, but couldn't stop her mouth. "You sound like a proud parent Neb! What are we, your clutch?"

One of Neb's heads drooped, the others showing clear exasperation in their eyes. "Alright, anyone else want to get the jokes off their chests before we leave?"

He was then drowned by horrible puns and jokes. They held a small funeral before leaving – for his sanity, if nothing else.

He was beyond annoyed when everyone finally stopped cracking themselves up. "Alright, that's done! Now then, Kirche, lead the way!"

Kirche saluted. "Yes sir! Follow me my fellow travelers, today we make for Germainia!"

She pulled on the reins of her horse and their procession took off down the road, the first steps of their journey fading into the dirt long before the sun rose.

– – – Hours Later – – –

The sun was high in the sky when a carriage bearing a scarlet and gold seal with a manticore centerpiece rolled down the road to the Academy. The guards, knowing the seal by heart, opened the gates immediately and let the carriage pass.

It came to a stop in the main courtyard, the driver hopping from their seat and opening the door. Four people exited, the first, a tall blonde man with a jewel topped staff. He held out his hand and helped a woman of similar age exit, her stern visage fixed straight ahead. After her came a younger woman with blonde hair like the man's with spectacles, before one more even younger woman with pink hair matching the first woman exited.

The family gathered themselves before setting off for the central tower, the few students that had either stayed or returned from summer break staring in both trepidation and awe. The family ignored them and entered the tower, a quick spell from the eldest woman floating them to the top in short order.

The woman didn't bother to glance at the nervous man behind the desk that met them at the top, simply marching to the double doors and throwing them open with a crash.

Osmond didn't move, his eyes focused out the window. "Hello, Karin. What can I do for you today?"

The woman didn't speak, her hard eyes glaring at Osmond. Instead, the man walked forward with his daughters. "Hello, Osmond."

Osmond puffed on his pipe. "George, good to see you. Same to Eleanor and Cattleya as well, though I wonder why you're up and about. Now then, why has the entire Valliere household come to greet me this day?"

The woman, Karin, spoke at last. "Where's my daughter, Osmond?"

Osmond finally turned to them. "Daughter? Oh, you mean young Louise? I thought she was allowed to remain here for the next year until the betrothal was authorized."

George sighed. "That was what we originally said. However, we are here to speak with her. It's not everyday you come home to find out your youngest not only summoned a many headed beast but was also knighted."

Osmond puffed his smoke. "That's old news. Where have you been to just be hearing this?"

Karin took a step forward. "That's not your business. My daughter, now."

Osmond's eyes narrowed. "Careful, Karin. Your might and reputation are well earned, but so is mine. Besides, I cannot tell you where your daughter is."

George barely stopped his wife from exploding forward, but Eleanor took the lead. "Why not?! My foolish little sister could barely cast magic and now she's a knight?! There's no way you can't tell us!"

Osmond shrugged, secretly enjoying this. "I can't tell you because I don't know. She and her friends set out on the road many hours ago; they could be anywhere in Tristain by now."

He hid the smirk in his beard as both mother and daughter turned an interesting shade of puce.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

 _Ch. End_

 **(1) Roughly translate to: Words in your soul! Another I invoke the right of all the assistance that the spirit of water must answer! Thus saith the Shalassa your mother! Not the best, but he's basically invoking the right of assistance that Shalassa placed on all water spirits, though not the elementals in game. (And yes, the right is a product of yours truly.)**

 **Hooowah! That was a fun write! I'm really sorry for the lack of updates everyone, I hope this extra long chapter smooths over any ruffled feathers.**

 **Now, for long over due review responses!**

 **Kiden: He's here! Derflinger is his own thing, not an artifact. Also, I always enjoy having help, it makes my life easier!**

 **OBSERVER01: Hope you enjoy this one too! Tabitha didn't get to really do anything lewd, the wonders of a hydra, but I hope you like what's here!**

 **Meaningless Us3rname: I answered your first question and no Mathilda will not be executed. I have plans for her, but they don't involve Louise liking older women, especially when she only has her mother for a comparison.**

 **Acesnowlightning: Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the praise too, it's always nice to see!**

 **Okay, that's all said and done. Now then, back to my rewrite! Charge!**


	15. Sparks

Zero 15

 **Ok, this time I won't take as long as I did last time!**

 **Neb: It's already been a more than a month.**

 **7: …**

 **Louise: Oh, drop the self-pity! Just get back on track and everyone won't give a-**

 **Neb: *Smacks Louise* Language, we're not in the story yet.**

 **Louise: *Blasts him with a fireball* Don't hit me!**

 **7: Ok, fine, I'll get to the story, you two just stop.**

 **Louise and Neb: *Grin in unison* Great!**

 **7: Psh, posers. Anyway, let's get back to good ol' Louise!**

 **Edit: EXTREMELY IMPRTANT NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER! PLEASE READ THROUGH THE EDITOR'S NOTE AT THE END!**

 _Sparks_

* * *

They were maybe half a day into the journey when they ran into trouble.

Kirche had sworn up and down that the road they were taking was the single safest route since the Founder, so naturally they had a whole platoon of orcs and goblins screaming for their heads. They were even dealing with ones that were bright enough to bring archers – near geniuses by orc standards.

Louise mused on the fact that she'd been able to take all the goblins and orcs in at a glance to determine there was a platoon's worth in the time it took Tabitha to skewer the first few of them with ice shards. _Looks like all those lessons Neb gave in military strategy helped. Now then, we still have a lot of screaming beasts trying to scare off the horses. What to do, what to do?_

She cracked the base of Raelag's staff against the earth, flame gathering in its jeweled maw. "Fireball!"

The flame roared from the jewel, slamming into a group of five and incinerating them. A smirk settled on her face as another stream of fire reduced several to ash while lances of water and bronze constructs slaughtered any that escaped the flames.

It was rather refreshing to be fighting monsters. Unlike humans who had emotions and thoughts, who could think and have their own hopes and dreams, monsters like goblins and orcs were spawned from malicious mud fields. All they did was pillage everywhere they went while killing all they came across, so there was no need to worry about morality or remorse for them.

As the fighting continued, she realized she had also overestimated their intelligence: while they did actually have archers, they did nothing to try and hide in the tree line to provide cover or pick off distracted fighters. Instead, they were charging while firing their poorly made bows with deplorable accuracy, side by side with the others. One even had a clean shot on Louise at one point, aimed, and missed by a good two feet. It'd hit one of its compatriots, getting a giggle out of Louise before Siesta cut the archer open.

In the end, it came down to the simple fact that they were vastly superior to the goblins and orcs. Had they been as they were before Neb joined them, it was likely that only Tabitha would have been able to survive. But they had gone through several months of grueling training at the hands of a sadistic lizard, and they certainly weren't going to lose to something like that.

It made the end a foregone conclusion, if a tad messy.

Louise grimaced as the last of their assailants turned to flee, only for Neb's necks to snap forward and his jaws clamp on their screeching bodies. The heads proceeded to shake the life out of them or rip them to bloody shreds.

Louise leaned back, sticking her tongue out at the black blood Neb's actions splattered across the ground. "Ew, don't do that, Neb."

Neb spat out the corpses, working his jaws and hissing. "Couldn't exactly step on them, now could I? Though try and kill them all sooner next time; they taste foul."

One of his heads turned to the group, its eyes curious. "Tell me, why the eagerness to kill these things? Guiche, would you mind saying?"

Guiche shrugged as he dispelled his constructs. "Monsters, especially pests such as these, are nothing more than mindless killers. Human life is another matter entirely compared to removing this filth."

Neb snorted, his other heads finally clearing the ichor. "I see. Well then, you should have no trouble removing bandits either. Just remember, if diplomacy is open, take it. The last thing we need to do is get a reputation."

Siesta giggled. "No offense, Sir Neb, but we'll gain a reputation by having you and Sylphid with us. Not to mention if we end up having to hunt down bounties when our funds get low."

Kirche called out from the side of the road, pulling everyone's attention. "Guess what? I found some jewelry on one of the orcs! Think we should sell it at the next town?"

Her announcement was met with blank looks, her uncovered eye narrowing. "What?"

Tabitha took the lead. "…Said was safe."

Kirche could see the accusation reflected on everyone's faces. "Hey, it was when I last came this way! I scouted this place two weeks ago; the orcs and goblins are new!"

Neb chuckled at a croak from Flame. "Why yes, she does listen doesn't she? Kirche, it's fine, I'm surprised we didn't run into trouble of some sort until just now."

Louise felt a shiver run up her spine at the word 'trouble'. She could swear she heard what sounded like a gale nearby, but the forest they were walking by was quiet. "A-anyway, shall we be off? After we look through their things, that is."

Neb laughed jovially while Montmorency finally spoke. "I don't see all that much point. Sure, one had some jewelry on it, but what else could this band have?"

Tabitha walked up to a nearby corpse and rolled it over, unfazed by the frozen snarl. She looked it over, even poking it with her staff, before standing up. "…Nothing."

Siesta walked up to Tabitha's side and did a more… thorough search. "Oh, no, he does have something. He swallowed this… mineral?"

She held up a slimy lump of rock, her sweet smile at odds with her blood splattered cheeks and knife dripping in gore. Louise sighed at the sight. "Siesta, clean that up. You look like one of those psychos from a mystery novel."

Siesta chuckled awkwardly; suddenly aware of the grimaces sent her way. "Oops, sorry. The nurses at the Academy were teaching me about surgery and I forgot where I was."

Neb barked another laugh, some of his heads presenting small trinkets he'd found. "Well, while you were all busy, I've already searched them all. This is all they had, and I asked Sylphid and Flame to help me search their entrails. Shall we get going?"

Montmorency put her foot down. "Not until we don't stink! Blood of any sort is near impossible to remove as is, and I refuse to have us need a change so soon! Siesta, come with me, I'll start with you first."

Siesta looked to Louise for permission before following Montmorency at Louise's nod. Louise turned her attention to Neb and Kirche, who were discussing what they'd found. "So, what did they have?"

Kirche held up a necklace with a yellow jewel in a silver setting. "This is the only thing of real value. It looks like topaz, but to be on a goblin, it probably came from a jeweler. Other than that, one of them swallowed some kind of metal and the rest is just bits and bobs made from wood and stone."

Neb shook where he stood, the party's equipment rattling on his back. "Indeed, it's nothing to stare at. But, this encounter was a good thing if you ask me. You all showed remarkable calm in the face of an ambush, even if they started charging at us from well up the road."

Kirche smiled, waving Flame over and patting his head. "Aw, you'll make me blush. But, as you said, they came at us from some ways off. By the time they got to us, the shock wore off. That, and I've had to take care of my fair share of goblins and orcs since they pop up in the forest near my home every so often."

A shriek caught their attention, but they laughed when a soaked Siesta ran up to them, shivering in her boots. "M-m-milady, I-I'm d-d-d-done."

Montmorency followed behind her with a playful scowl. "You wouldn't be shivering if you'd wait another minute! I told you to stand still and wait for a shock, didn't I?"

Siesta didn't deign to respond, but Montmorency drew the water from her clothes with a huff. A quick visit to Flame's tail later, Siesta was pristine. "Thank you, Lady Montmorency, Flame. I should have been more careful to avoid making such a mess. I beg your understanding."

Montmorency had a brief flash of pride flash across her face, but she squashed it with a grimace. "Its fine, Siesta. We're… compatriots on this journey, and I will treat you the same as I treat the others."

She turned and strode towards her horse, leaving a dumbstruck Siesta and curious Louise. "That's odd. She's normally been quite taciturn with Siesta ever since we dragged her into this. What changed?"

Kirche stood and stretched. "Beats me. We can think on the way though – we've tarried long enough methinks."

Louise glared at her, but a quiet voice answered. "…Poor actor."

Louise nearly jumped out of her skin as Tabitha seemed to appear from the ether. "Where did you come from?!"

Tabitha stared at her, head tilted. "…Standing here five minutes. Can we go?"

Louise looked to see Neb starting to walk back down the path, a growling conversation rolling between him and Sylphid. She shook her head and turned on her heel. "Yes, we're going now. Guiche, Siesta, get on your horses! We're leaving!"

Siesta sighed from her spot next to Kirche. "There's no need to yell, Lady Louise, I'm right here."

There was a long silence before Louise realized her misstep. She blubbered an apology before fleeing to her horse with cheeks aflame. Kirche chuckled at the sight. "Oh, she's so cute when she's embarrassed. If I bottled that, I could buy a duchy."

Siesta smiled demurely, but Kirche felt something dangerous in that smile. "Indeed, but that's why I'm here if nothing else. If anyone knows how to snap her out of it, it's me and Sir Neb."

Kirche's uncovered eye narrowed, but Siesta had already walked away _. Did… did she just try and claim that only she could comfort Louise? Tabitha and I have done that ourselves, thank you very much, even if you were the first to get to her. Don't get too high and mighty, maid._

She snorted, choking the envious root in her heart as best she could. Everyone else was already in the saddles, so Kirche ran and vaulted into her own before guiding her horse next to Louise. A moment later, she heard a low growl from behind and she glanced back to see an annoyed Siesta scowling at the sky.

Kirche felt a smug smirk rise on her lips before turning back to the road. That would show the maid she wasn't Louise's only confidant, especially since Tabitha had taken Louise's other side and engaged her in a quiet conversation.

…Just putting Tabitha's name in the same sentence as conversation still made her head spin.

"Oi, lollygaggers! Get a move on or the hydra will leave you behind!"

Kirche snapped from her petty victory and spurred her horse forward, Louise and Tabitha keeping pace with her. She took one last glance back to see Siesta had schooled her face into a dignified mask and felt a hint of trepidation spoil her triumph.

 _If… if this is how I feel around Siesta, a kind girl that I think a friend, and that's how she acts around me… this may get ugly._

She turned back to the front, eyes trained on Neb's distinct form. In her zeal to keep facing forward, she missed Tabitha frowning at her. "…Is this…"

Tabitha shook her head, a sick feeling in her chest slowly fading. What it was, she had no way of knowing, but she knew it had to do with her friends, and the source was Louise.

The one she, honestly… had a tiny crush on.

Faint pink rose in her cheeks at the thought, her mind slowing with melancholy as she thought on that word. She'd never had a crush, ever, in all her years. It was only recently that she'd rediscovered friendship, but now her heart fluttered whenever Louise smiled at her. She didn't know what to do, not after spending years as an agent for her uncle, not after her mother went mad. A sigh escaped her lips as the thought of her mother passed, a simple wish for the once warm advice once so freely given going to the heavens.

"Tabitha, are you okay?"

Tabitha looked to her left to see Louise's concerned gaze. "…Fine."

Louise's gaze didn't abate. "Are you sure? You've been frowning for the last while."

Tabitha had enough social sense to know telling the truth was a bad idea. "…No, annoyed."

Louise smirked, a quick laugh brightening the air. "Ah, at Neb, right? Yeah, why would he just go off like that? Aren't we supposed to stay together?"

Tabitha nodded, mind turning to another curiosity. "…Sylphid too?"

Louise nodded, her arms folding over her chest. "Yeah, her too. Normally, she's always next to you, but now she's walking with Neb instead. Then there's the fact she's walking rather than flying."

Tabitha wordlessly whipped the reins in her hands, making her horse speed up a bit. "…Come; he has the tents."

Louise flicked her reins as well and soon the group was galloping after the wayward hydra. No words were spoken, but Louise had seen Guiche shaking his head in the back with Montmorency and Siesta.

She frowned in thought, but stowed the observation for later when they finally caught up to Neb. "Hey, Neb! What's the big idea leaving us back there with all those corpses?"

One of Neb's heads snaked around and grinned, his body coming to a stop. "Why, I was simply scouting ahead. Nothing to report, happily. Oh, and Kirche, where's the next village in relation to where we are?"

Kirche huffed at him as they stopped, Tabitha trotting up to Sylphid. "Still half a day, even if we go full speed. Also, Flame's legs are too short for you to wander off without him, so do try to be more considerate."

Neb looked down to find the poor salamander panting, his flames smaller than normal. The sound of tunneling also revealed an exhausted Verdandi, the dramatic mole flopping out of the hole.

Neb had the decency to look contrite, even as Guiche raced to his familiar's aid. "Sorry, I should have brought them along. Anyway, what's the village's name?"

Kirche stared at him. "Are you going senile in your old age? I told you the entire route back at the Academy!"

Neb's head snaked over and flicked her hair into her face, laughing petulantly at her sputtering. "Calling me senile, ha! No, I ask because I want details, not just that we're passing through."

Kirche cursed and snarled as she tried to straighten the mess Neb had made of her hair. "Galton; that's the name. They're one of the larger villages on Tristain's side of the border, so I thought we could stop in and get cleared for the border crossing at Roer."

Montmorency popped her lips in realization. "That's right. With the political tensions, it can take days to get cleared. It's either that or we try and sneak across a border with patrols looking for any excuse to fight."

Louise stared at her. "Really? They'd attack anyone? I knew that Germania and Tristain weren't on the best of terms, but…"

Guiche sighed dramatically, all the while fanning Verdandi with a blanket. "Ah, Louise, I do not blame you for not knowing. Even I did not find out about how deplorable relations were until I visited my family last summer."

Louise glowered at him. "Words, Gramont, didn't Neb teach you that?"

Neb grunted, one of his other heads adding another blanket to the fanning. "Only when he needs to explain, Louise. Besides, trying to remove his flowery speech is like trying to heat a mountain with not but a torch."

That got laughs from everyone, even Guiche. "Ah, tis part of me I'm afraid. But, to the point, with our Queen ill and the regency in the hands of Cardinal Mazarin while our Princess waits to come of age, old feuds have been… simmering. To put it mildly, that is."

Kirche laughed. "Putting it mildly indeed. In other words, Louise, the border lands are under control of houses on both sides that have been getting into ever more heated arguments over where the boundaries lie. Her Highness Queen Marianne and Emperor Albert III had kept the disputes minimal after King Henry died, but Cardinal Mazarin has showed little interest in doing the same."

Louise stared at the others, wondering why she hadn't heard of this before. "Um, why was I never informed of this? I never heard any of this mentioned during our training."

Neb's every head turned to face the others, eyes frustrated. "I agree, Louise. This is valuable information, and had I not asked, we could very well have blundered our way into starting a war!"

Kirche held up her hands. "Relax, Roer and Galton are one of the calm areas. I even asked Tabby if she'd heard of anywhere safer to pass into my homeland."

Every eye turned to Tabitha, who shrugged. "…Safest while still close to Academy. Obvious choice."

Montmorency sighed. "I mean no offense, but it still boggles my mind when you speak more than four words. Anyway, what are we going to do about him?" she asked, pointing to Neb.

Luckily, Siesta already had an answer. "Worry not, I've already discussed this kind of situation with Sir Neb a few months ago. When his other heads are shortened, we can wrap the longest neck around his body a few times and pass him off as a very large lizard."

Louise hummed at the suggestion. "Well… it's not a bad idea, but how long can he stay squished like that? Can't he, uh, keep his heads from growing if he wants?"

Silence descended at the suggestion and Louise blushed at the shocked gazes, her horse whinnying at the delay. "Hey, I have good ideas! Who do you think came up with our formations?"

Neb merely laughed, Siesta nodding at the idea. "That may be right. Sir Neb, is it true that you can keep yourself from growing more heads?"

One of the Neb heads nodded, the others arguing in his native tongue. "That I can, though it's not what you would call pleasant. I'll do it though, I'll just need someone to help me get back to this number if there's even a whiff of trouble."

Kirche patted her horse's side where her battle-axe lay, Tabitha unsheathing her sword in time with Guiche's and Montmorency's. Neb stared at them with sparks of terror in his eyes. "Hey, no need to be so eager!"

All he got were a series of unhinged giggles, even from Tabitha. He had enough time to rue his sadistic tendencies before Siesta put her foot down. "That is enough. The sun continues its march while we dawdle, and I would much prefer a proper bed so long as the option is open to us!"

Everyone straightened at her order, even Sylphid standing at attention. Siesta stared at them from atop her steed, face growing mortified the longer they stare at her.

Louise was the first to squeak out her thoughts. "Uh, wow."

Neb laughed jovially. "Ah, Siesta, I knew you had the heart of a Blood Fury. You heard the lady, let's get on the road!"

He turned and took off at a gallop, eager to escape his vengeance thirsty students. Louise took off after him with a laugh while the others gave cheerful battle cries before charging after them. Well, all except Tabitha and Siesta that is.

They preferred a more sedate canter that kept them well within sight of the others, but wouldn't strain their horses. Siesta looked to the ground next to her as they walked. "Don't worry, Verdandi, I'm sure your master was just excited."

A tired sniffle from the great mole was her only answer. Siesta then looked to her other side. "The same is true for you as well, Sir Flame. I just know it is."

An annoyed croak sounded from the salamander, though a coo from Sylphid calmed him down. Siesta, glad to see the salamander better, looked to Tabitha. "Lady Tabitha, why don't you catch up with the others? I can keep an eye on these two while you and Sylphid go on."

Tabitha shook her head. "…Dangerous alone."

Siesta smiled at the smaller girl. "That's kind of you, Lady Tabitha, but I can take care of myself."

Tabitha shrugged. "…Have question, you alone."

Siesta sighed. "What could you ask of me? I'm just a commoner, you likely know far more than I do."

Tabitha's eyes locked to hers. "It's because you're a commoner that I ask."

Siesta damn near fell off her horse. Lady Tabitha hadn't paused before speaking! "W-what's this about?"

Were Tabitha's eyes any more intense, Siesta would have caught fire. "You… feel a fluttering when you're with Louise, right?"

Siesta's cheeks flooded with scarlet. "W-w-w-w-what?!"

Tabitha's gaze softened, if only just. "When you're with her, you feel a fluttering in your heart, yes? I… I have the same feeling, every so often, and… I don't know what it is."

Tabitha looked away from the shocked maid, a miasma of melancholy suffocating the air around her. "I've been less than social for much of my life. There are... many things that I don't understand properly, still. I… I need your help, Siesta."

Siesta felt a torrent of pity rise from her breast, drowning a swell of jealousy that had begun to bubble. "But… why me? Surely Lady Kirche would be a better choice in these matters."

Tabitha sighed, Sylphid nuzzling the girl's cheek in an attempt at comfort. "I… believe that, like you, Kirche's heart flutters as well. Also gossips. Can't keep a secret, unlike you."

Siesta slowly calmed her racing heart. "What makes you think I can keep a secret?"

Tabitha glared in return. "You're Louise's personal maid. I have seen people approach you. They offer favors and money in exchange for Louise's secrets. Even when they threaten, you don't talk."

Siesta's face paled with every word, her lips thinning to a line. "How… did you find out?"

Tabitha gestured to Sylphid, who cooed in greeting.

Siesta almost made her horse stop as she groaned. "Of course, you can fly. Put a listening spell up and you'd be able to hear everything."

Tabitha's eyes widened imperceptibly. "You know that spell?"

Siesta laughed under her breath. "Commoner, remember? I know of it since Sir Neb had asked Sir Colbert about it when I was walking by on an errand, that's all."

Tabitha's face returned to its mask. "…Very well. Now then, can you answer my question?"

Siesta scrunched her face in thought. On one hand, Tabitha wasn't being malicious in her inquiry, she was just confused and wanted to know. On the other, telling her would likely add another competitor for Louise's time and affections, not to mention she'd be encouraging an impossibility.

Another person may have let the jealousy take hold and come up with a fabrication about simple friendship. Siesta was not that person. "I… believe you have a crush on her, Lady Tabitha. It's hard to explain, but it means that you feel someone is very interesting and you'd like to get to know them… romantically."

Tabitha's face twisted in confusion. "…Romantic? What's that mean?"

Siesta's jaw fell to the earth. The words were apparently blasphemous to Verdandi's ears as the previously quiet mole squealed and fell to his side in a dead faint. Flame was on him a moment later, rolling the mole over and starting half-hearted compressions.

Sylphid would have joined them if not for a stern glare from Tabitha. Instead, she cooed encouragement to Verdandi while Tabitha sighed. "Judging by your reaction, it's common knowledge what romantic feelings are?"

Siesta pulled her jaw off the floor. "Y-yes, milady, the knowledge is quite common. I… I can lend you a few books that describe the subject, but they're not exactly… scholarly."

Tabitha huffed. "That's fine, I'll take them. Also, we'll have to continue this later, Guiche just realized that his mole collapsed."

Siesta sighed and steered her horse aside as the blur that was Guiche blazed down the road and stopped before Verdandi. "Oh, my sweet Verdandi! What could have caused you to collapse like so? Was it the pace, did we push you too hard?"

Verdandi squeaked his own reply and the two hams were left to their drama shortly thereafter. With the mood ruined, Tabitha spurred her horse to join the others while Siesta staid back to think on what was likely to happen.

Oh dear. Lady Louise has three, including myself, chasing after her, all of us girls. I… don't even know if girls are milady's actual preference, what happened months ago be damned. If any of us make any overt moves, and she reveals she's into boys…

She shivered, awkward didn't begin to describe it.

"Hey, Siesta, what's the hold-up? Weren't you spurring us on not that long ago?"

Siesta perked at Louise's call, spurring her horse after her friends and love. There'd be time to think on the ramifications of what could happen later.

First, they had to reach Galton, and soon.

 _– – – Galton, Fields – – –_

It was another average day for the farmers of Galton.

The fields were doing well. The cattle, pigs, and sheep were grazing peacefully, and they were expecting a good rain this week. The only thing that was even slightly newsworthy was that Roer was going to be sending their merchants a day later due to the rain.

One such farmer wiped his brow and surveyed his field. He nodded at the sight of the clean rows of green wheat, only a couple months from harvest and free of weeds. "Alright, Dole, we're done for today! Pull the oxen in, I need to see Mr. Donau today."

A younger voice called back. "Are ya sure, pa? He's a right sheep's hind with how he goes about all high and mighty."

The farmer snorted. "Aye, he's a right hind, but he's the reason the merchants come all the way out here. Weren't for him, we'd be goin' to Roer every month to buy our things. 'Sides, he has to deal with all the real asses that come through here on their way to Roer."

A young man with a scar over his eye walked up to the farmer. "I guess so. Alright, I got the oxen; see you at home. Come on, Largo, we got places to be and oats to eat!"

The farmer laughed at the excited moo of his ox before he grabbed his sack at the edge of the field and set off for town. He waved to the last few hands out in the field as he walked by, hollering and laughing whenever one of them decided they were clever.

The town was its usual bustling self, children, woman, workers, and others going about their business. More than a few stopped to greet him, but the distractions nearly made him late to the meeting. He jogged up the stairs into the largest and most obnoxious building in the town, a three-story barracks of stone and mahogany that cost more than half the town.

The farmer greeted the man behind the desk in the entrance hall and shared nods with the men in armor that stood on guard, a pair of them letting him through a door to the left that led further into the building.

After a few more minutes of determined turns and more than a few near run-ins with the guards, he arrived before a large pair of doors flanked by two of the men. "Afternoon lads, I'm here to see Mr. Donau today."

One of them nodded. "We've been expecting you, Mr. Lentil. Mr. Donau and Sergeant Carol are inside."

Lentil frowned. "Lady Carol? What's she doing here?"

The guard shrugged. "Couldn't say. Alright, let him in."

The other nodded and rapped three times on the door before opening it in tandem with his compatriot. Lentil stepped through to find two people staring at a map on the wall, an ominous silence hanging in the air.

Lentil glanced to the lone woman in the room first, her brown hair tied in a single braid that ran to her back and lay over a blue cloak. She noticed him first, turning with the sound of clanking metal and shifting chains as her dark brown eyes pinned him in place. "Ah, Mr. Lentil, I'm glad you're here. I'd rather this happen earlier, but Mr. Donau insisted on having the town head here."

Lentil nodded to the other man, while doing his best not to roll his eyes at the man's ridiculous looking purple robes. At least the man kept his moustache well groomed, but the robes were still enough of an eye sore that it was hard not to focus on them. "Thank you, Mr. Donau. I'd rather not miss anything so important."

The other man waved off the thanks, his answer high and nasally. "Ha, don't thank me yet. Lady Carol here wouldn't be walking around in her full plate armor if this wasn't important."

Lentil wasn't able to keep from rolling his eyes, this time. As if he would have missed something like that. "Alright, what's going on this time? Bandits pop up again, or do we have an orc infestation?"

Carol shook her head. "Bandits, but not petty ones. They're organized and daring, even attacking one of the patrols from Roer. Only one survivor came from them and they spoke of fire befitting a mage."

Lentil's eyes snapped to Donau, but the other man held up his hands. "I'm a water mage, you twit. And just a line at that. Your village folk may be distrustful of the nobility, but I wouldn't attack my own soldiers."

Carol nodded. "Yes, the fire described was beyond anyone short of triangle class. But, when the main garrison was sent out, they could find no trace of the bandits; not even a hint of their camp. I was sent here to organize the garrison and set up a militia in case of attack."

Lentil growled. "We're peaceful villagers here, Lady Carol. Most of us are concerned with the harvest and little else, let alone bandits. The only ones you'd find willing to join a militia are already part of the garrison, and even then, the village has nothing bandits could want."

Donau clicked his tongue. "Don't say that, you big ox. Galton's been building up its reserves of taxes since summer began and Roer's collector still hasn't come. I don't know why Lady Jessamine has yet to send one, but it makes this village a target."

Carol's lips drew thin and her hand sought the solace of her spear. "I… do not know why Her Ladyship would withhold something like this, but given the current situation, I think it best she not send one. The bandits may lay in wait for the taxes to be collected only to steal them."

Donau snorted. "If you say so, Lady Carol, but I still question the judgment in why it's taken so long. Maybe you should have a word with your sister?"

Carol's eyes sharpened to daggers. "She is not my sister. I am but a simple sergeant, and she a noble."

Lintel sighed as Carol turned on her heel and strode from the room, her voice barking orders until the doors clanged shut. "Now why'd you go and bring that up? You know it isn't her fault for this happening."

Donau shrugged. "Her sister rules both Roer and this village. Surely, she can speak to the Lady and get us a bit more protection, especially since her precious gold still lays in the record halls."

Lentil snorted. "You just want a better mark on your inspection. You and I both know you're not suited for country living."

Dornau shrugged. "I've always been honest with you, Mr. Lentil. I dislike living away from Roer, but I will do my duty as border officer to the best of my abilities. That doesn't include dying over you and your villagers' stubbornness."

The mage stood and left, leaving Lentil to glare at the map on the wall. There was clear field for miles in every direction, there was no way bandits would ever dare attack, not even at night. He sighed and left the room too, already desiring the warmth of his home and family.

 _–Louise–_

"Thank the Founder, we made it!"

They'd sighted the fires of Galton's hearths barely an hour ago, the glow a welcome sight as the sun disappeared below the horizon. With the delays of both an ambush and some soul-searching, they'd had to put Verdandi and Flame on Neb's back with all the equipment and gallop the rest of the way.

Neb, his other heads cleaved off by his over-eager students, lowered his head to Louise's ears. "Indeed. Now, remember, I can't talk inside the village. I may even have to spend the night outside the walls if they have nowhere to put me."

Montmorency cleared her throat. "We can worry about that shortly, but for now, let's go find an inn. The guards will be able to tell us whether or not we can bring you inside."

Neb nodded at her, but turned to glare at the bit Louise held out for him. "Must I take hold of this?" he asked, distaste oozing from his voice. "I quite dislike the taste of iron."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Oh quit complaining. We want them thinking of you as a big, dumb, docile lizard. So open wide!"

Neb did so begrudgingly, almost gagging at the taste when Louise shoved the bit into his mouth. Siesta and Tabitha were a great deal gentler while they tied the leather harness around his head, leaving Montmorency to canter up to the village gate.

"Excuse me, may we be allowed entry?" she called out to the guards. "We seek a place to stay tonight, before speaking to the border officer."

One of the guards huffed. "You're just in time, milady. We were about to shut the gate for the night."

Montmorency smiled courteously. "Thank you, we'll be through shortly. Oh, are there any inns that can accommodate… exotic creatures? We have a few nobles in our party."

Both guards stood ramrod straight. "Y-yes ma'am! We have an inn that often services nobility seeking to cross the borders – they have accommodations for even a manticore if needed!"

Montmorency smiled demurely this time. "Oh, you two can relax. Our group's nobles are not going to go around looking for anything to find fault with. We're simple travelers right now and they do not wish to be disturbed."

The guards looked to each other before the first spoke again. "V-very well. Uh, the inn's called Gnome's Den; once you enter, go straight until you reach the square and take the lane on your right. The inn's a few doors down from the border office. It has a sign with a gnome on it."

Montmorency nodded one more time. "Thank you, gentlemen. I shall inform my companions. I wish you a goodnight."

The other guard, silent to that point, stopped her as she turned her horse. "Um, can we ask for your name, milady? We need to mark down visitors, sergeant's orders."

The other guard glared at him, but Montmorency huffed. "Very well. My name is Montmorency Margarita La Fère de Montmorency and my group is called…Teatro dei Burattini.

The guards went ramrod straight again and they stiffly waved for the gate to open. Montmorency shrugged and called for the others to join her. It wasn't until they were past the gawking guards that she explained what happened.

Kirche stared at her. "What's with the group name? Does it mean something?"

Guiche answered. "Ah, tis Romanian if I recall. It means, 'Puppet Theater'."

Louise laughed, giving Montmorency a playful smirk. "Thinking of dear Guiche, eh?"

Montmorency looked away, just barely concealing her blushing cheeks. "It's all I could think of quickly. Anyway, come on. I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

Her horse spurred forward and the others followed after, weathering the curious stares of the few villagers still up at this hours until they reached the inn. This time, Louise hopped down, followed by Kirche, their cloaks closing over their bodies and hoods rising over their heads.

Louise looked back. "Alright, go ahead and get these poor horses stabled. Kirche and I will pay for the rooms."

Siesta looked over the inn, a large building with two-and-a-half floors and sounds of merriment coming from the glowing windows of the ground floor. "Hopefully it's not too crowded. If it is, one of us will have to use our blankets and sleep on the floor."

Kirche smirked from under her hood, her amber eye shining in its shadows. "Ah, we'll just draw lots – it'll be fine. Even then, two of us girls can just share beds if need be. There's no way we're sharing a room with Guiche though."

Guiche had the gumption to look offended, but shrugged it off shortly thereafter. "Considering how I was before Sir Neb's training, I can't disagree."

Everyone stared at him, even Verdandi nudging him to see if he was alright. Louise found her voice first. "How far you've come, Gramont. First a skirt-chaser that tried to get my handmaid fired, and now a half-way respectable young man. Do you think we should see a priest? He may have been possessed."

Guiche sighed. "I will forever be the butt of japes, I suppose. Regardless, come along ladies; these horses will mutiny if we don't feed and water them soon."

His horse gave an agitated huff, as if agreeing with him. Louise and Kirche waved to them before turning and opening the door, nearly blown away by the explosion of sound and light that greeted them inside.

The first floor was a big restaurant and bar, several tables of varying sizes filled with patrons while the bar sat at the back. Kegs, pots, and other kitchenware were in plain view behind the bar while a heavenly smell wafted through the air. Every table was occupied by a variety of people, but none of them wore the fine clothes of nobility, marking them all as commoners.

Had she visited before she summoned Neb, Louise would have turned her nose up at the lot of them. Now, she simply ignored their inane prattle and started working her way to the bar. Kirche followed along, but she noticed the two of them quickly drawing looks. It probably didn't help they were covered by their cloaks and had their hoods up.

Louise reached the bar first, spotting an older man, a woman of similar age, and two boys about her age working at the skillets. "Um, excuse me?" she called softly.

They didn't hear her, even as the ruckus around them dies off. They just kept cooking.

Louise sighed, eye twitching under her cloak. "Psst, Kirche, I can't get their attention."

Kirche sidled up to her, looking around the room to see if there was anyone else. "Looks like it's just them. Excuse us, can we get some service?"

One of the boys finished whatever he was doing and passed the pot he held to the woman. Done, he turned to the bar and stared at them. Kirche wasn't very impressed with him - though he kept himself well groomed, he was so plain that you could lose him in a crowd without trying.

Seeing as he wouldn't speak of his own volition, Louise went first. "Finally, can we get some service here? Who's the owner?"

The boy turned around and patted the older man on the shoulder. "Hey pa, we got some strangers."

The man finished his task before turning and walking up to the bar. He was a large man, and his scarred arms and face spoke of a life of labor and hardships. A bushy mustache sat on his lip like a large caterpillar, while his grey eyes had the spark of wisdom in them. "Who are you?"

Louise sighed. "Our names aren't that important, sir. We're just here to see if we can get rooms tonight. Six people total."

The man hummed. "I got just one room open. I'd have two, but an idjit noble got drunk an blew a hole in the other one's wall."

Louise shared a glance with Kirche, her eyes wide. "Uh... really? Um, how many beds are in the room you have? A couple of us won't mind the floor or the stable."

The man stroked his mustache. "There's... three beds in that room. If ya don't care 'bout decency, all six a ya can fit there."

Louise was thankful that her hood hid her face, and the luminous blush suddenly spreading across her cheeks at the thought. "We... quite care about decency!" she quickly informed him, her voice squeaking slightly. "Also, we require use of the stables for our mounts and our companions' more... exotic animals."

The man sucked in a breath, eyes narrowing as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Ya got nobles with ya, huh? How do I know they ain't gonna skip on paying?"

Kirche stepped in for the offended Louise. "We've the money to pay, so long as the price is fair. So, what's the room and use of the stable cost? We may be staying more than one night, depending on how long it takes to get permission to cross the border."

The man looked them up and down again, the tension in the air thick, before he finally laughed. "Ah, that's good then! Alright, a night for the room and the stables is two silver. Dinner's three copper a person if you'd like to partake."

Kirche and Louise looked at each other, shocked by the low price. "That's... very generous, Mr..."

The man laughed again. "Names Dolan, I own the inn and run it with my wife Genna and our two sons, Lucas and Ricken. Wife runs the front while I cook with Lucas, and Ricken takes care of the stables unless we're busy. All of them should be clean."

Louise coughed into her hand, not sure why he'd given so much information when they just needed his name. "Thank you... Mr. Dolan. Our friends are already waiting by the stables, but we've had a long day, and may just turn in for the night. Is it okay if we're shown to the room?"

The man shrugged. "Sure. Hey, Genna, mind showing them upstairs?"

The woman turned from the stove. "Sure, follow me, it's on the top floor. Ricken, go tell their friends where the room is."

The boy who had first saw them nodded, before walking back through a door behind the bar. Genna came around the bar and nodded courteously, her greying red hair framing the crow's feet around her blue-green eyes. "Ladies, if you would follow me."

Louise barely suppressed a squeak, but Kirche muttered to her before Louise's mouth could open. "We're not trying to hide our voices, so don't be so surprised that they can tell we're girls."

Louise felt her blush deepen, and once again, she decided that hoods were one of the most useful things a person could have. Kirche hid an amused smirk and followed after Genna, leaving Louise jogging to catch up to them as they ascended the stairs.

She heard Dolan yell at the other patrons to mind their own business, and conversation resumed quickly after. Genna went down the hall once they reached the third floor landing, leading them to the last door on the left. "This is the room. Please, take a look."

She took out an iron key and unlocked the door, opening it for Louise and Kirche to peruse. As Dolan had said, there were three beds in the room with a couch and table off to the side. Actually, it looked kind of like the common room at the dorm mixed with the dorm rooms themselves, if on a smaller scale.

Much, much smaller.

Louise turned to Genna, pulling her hood down so the other woman could see her smile. "This is perfect, thank you. Guess Guiche gets the stable though."

Kirche laughed, her own hood falling away. "Ah, let's not be too mean. We'll draw lots like promised, but if chivalry means anything to Guiche, he'll likely volunteer."

Louise chuckled. "True, true. We'll have to make sure to get him a room at the next inn we stay at though, if only to thank him."

Genna stared at them in disbelief. "You'd really do that? Most girls I know would just tell the guy to sleep outside and never think of thanking him."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Then they know nothing of courtesy. A letch and womanizer he may have been, but our friend's come around for the better now that he's got some discipline in him. To treat him like he once was is petty beyond rational thought, and terribly childish at that."

Genna stared at them for a time longer before she laughed. "Ah, it's good to see some noble girls with some sense in them. Well, I'll leave you two be, have a goodnight. Oh, and Ricken should be up with your friends before much longer."

Louise and Kirche bowed in thanks, looking around the room some more after Genna closed the door. Louise plopped onto one of the beds against the farthest wall. "Alright, this one's mine. First come first served and all that."

Kirche stared at her before a devious smirk formed on her face. Louise didn't like that smirk, but Kirche beat her to the first word. "So, even with Guiche in the stable like we think is going to happen, we're short two beds. Someone can take the couch, but are we really going to subject someone to the floor?"

Louise shrugged, feeling further on edge at a spark in Kirche's eye. "Well, we packed blankets for just that purpose. We'll all be sleeping on the ground at some point, so why not have one of us get used to it now?"

Kirche gave her best pout in reply. "Aw, but what's a little luxury before hitting the road again? Sure, we made Galton in less than a day, but Roer's three days travel no matter how you slice it. We'll be on the ground when we leave."

She sauntered forward and patted the mattress Louise was sitting on. "Besides, I think these things are big enough we can share if necessary. Everyone gets a bed that way, and we can rotate."

Louise felt heat rise in her cheeks again. "B-b-but that's so embarrassing! And we need the others to give input on this; we can't decide it all by ourselves!"

Kirche shrugged, almost laughing when the door opened. "Oh, speak of the devil. How're the horses and our dear familiars?"

Montmorency huffed, laying a pack on the floor. "They're fine, resting and eating as we speak. Guiche, as you can tell, decided to be chivalrous and stay in the stable."

Tabitha looked around the room. "...This it?"

Siesta agreed, not sure why Kirche was giving her such a smug look. "Yes, this isn't quite up to our needs. Even with Sir Guiche staying in the stable, we're still short two beds."

She waved off the snide remarks she knew was coming. "And yes, I will take the couch. I only ask I get a proper bed next time."

Montmorency huffed. "Well, we're still one short. Who wants the floor? Siesta's already claimed the couch."

Kirche jumped at the chance, her smile wide as she was all but handed an opportunity on a silver platter. With it managing to line up just right, she could swear it was fate! "Not to worry, I'll just share a bed with Louise here. We'll fit easily enough on these mattresses."

Tabitha's gaze hardened at the same time as Siesta's, and both of them spoke at once. "...No."

Kirche recoiled, clutching her breast in mock agony. "Oh, woe is me. My friends won't even hear me out fully before shooting me down!"

Louise growled at the dramatic redhead. "And what, exactly, is the rest of this plan?"

Kirche stopped her acting on a dime. "Oh, we'll just rotate depending on how many nights we have to stick around. Last I came through, it took three days, but it may take even longer with the tensions getting worse."

To Louise's horror, that information made Siesta and Tabitha relax. They even started nodding after they looked at each other.

Montmorency butted in. "I hope you don't mind if I forgo, but I can't share a bed. Even though I'm willing to do it, I tend to toss and turn a lot when I sleep, and I'd prefer not to start a fight in the middle of the night over it."

Kirche smiled kindly at Montmorency. "When you do sleep, that is. Tell me, are you actually planning on using all those reagents in your saddlebags?"

Montmorency huffed and the room descended into friendly banter. Louise didn't participate, her mind still trying to process how she'd been outvoted so quickly when Tabitha and Siesta had looked so against it at first. In her mind, she silently chewed on a hanky and despaired at the betrayals of the ones she called friends.

...Okay, so she was probably overreacting to this, but could she be blamed? She'd be sharing a bed with a Zerbst! Kirche at that! Sure, they could be considered friends now, but there was a stubborn part of her mind that screeched at the very thought of sharing anything with Kirche. And a bed? That was just... just improper! Especially since it was with Kirche!

Then, there was the more personal struggle. After months of training, Guiche had grown to be, well, sculpted in the eyes of the female students. But, even though Louise had seen him shirtless and sweating on more than one occasion, nothing stirred.

Not like Monmon who started panting like a dog.

Instead, she'd found her eyes drawn, at varying points, to the other ladies of the group. Kirche's bouncing bosom and toned stomach, Tabitha's toned legs and lithe form, Siesta's succulent hips and the way her skin sparkled with sweat...

...She was drooling, wasn't she?

Thankfully, no one noticed as she surreptitiously wiped away the drool and her mind turned dark. She... was engaged. Engaged to a handsome and wonderful man.

Sure, he was several years older than her, but Sir Wardes was a gallant knight and would doubtlessly make a wonderful husband. It was just... the longer she was away from him and the longer she stayed with her friends, the more her enthusiasm for that idea waned.

No longer did she have an infantile attachment to a man out of a fairy tale. Rather, she had developed a much deeper, much more dangerous affection for something else. She... liked girls.

Just thinking it in her head, admitting it to herself, felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders... only to be replaced by one twice as heavy. Her family would never approve of such a thing, especially when she had affections linked to a commoner, an unknown, and a Zerbst. Had she been a boy, this problem would be far less... messy, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Then again, the idea of being attracted to a Zerbst might still be just as bad to them even then.

She'd been thinking on it for a while, if Kirche's shaking of her shoulders was anything to go by. With the thoughts and doubts buried for now, she looked around to see the others getting ready for bed. "Oh, sorry... I was just lost in thought."

Kirche smiled warmly at her, her uncovered eye half-lidded. "It's okay, we're all tired. Need any help getting changed? Montmorency asked about getting a bath or something and they have some extra basins we can use."

Louise smiled shyly, hoping her nervousness wasn't quite as obvious as it felt. "I... don't need help, no. Um, is it okay if I go first? I want to talk to Neb before I go to sleep."

Kirche frowned, unsure. "That's... fine then. Are you sure you can't tell me, or Siesta for that matter?"

Louise smiled softly, pushing Kirche's hands from her shoulders. "Yes, I'm sure. It's not that serious; I just need to talk to him."

Kirche only nodded this time. Montmorency, doubtlessly able to hear the end of that conversation from her side of the room, started giving directions. "You need to go get the basins from Genna. They have an area set aside for anyone wanting to bathe, but you'll need to heat the water yourself."

Siesta spoke up at that. "Oh, then I'll go do it. It's no bother, I ass-"

Louise cut her off. "It's alright, Siesta, I'm not a babe. I appreciate all the work you've done for me since I hired you, but we're on the road now. As such, we're equals, and we all do our own work."

Siesta looked crestfallen, so Louise offered an alternative. "But, I will admit that no one here cooks better than you do. Would you like to volunteer as head cook with us as your lackeys?"

Siesta's face morphed into a silly grin, a hand hiding the smile while her torso twisted shyly. "Oh, you're too kind, milady. I'll gladly take the responsibility."

Louise nodded and gladly left the room. Now that she was distanced from the objects of her affection, she felt her mood fall once again. It was only through years of etiquette training that she managed to go retrieve the basins and get her directions without making a scene.

She drew three basins, a small part of her mind bowing at the altar of training for the strength it gave her arms. After that, she placed the water in the bathing area and strode to the stables. The latch was undone, surprisingly, but Louise guessed Neb didn't want to be locked in.

After a quick glance inside showed no human occupants, she snuck to the large area where Neb and Sylphid were resting with Flame and Verdandi taking the middle.

 _Actually, where's Montmorency's familiar? Last I saw of him, he was in her pouch_.

She shook her head of the errant thought and tapped Neb's side. "Psst, Neb? Can you and Flame come with me?"

Neb's lone head reared up from where it lay, a yawn stretching his maw. "Louise... why do you need me? Someone decide to get fresh with you or something?"

Louise rolled her eyes. "No, just get Flame and come with me. I need to talk with you while I bathe, or the others will get suspicious."

Neb's eyes gained clarity, the fog of sleep rolling away. "Sounds important. Alright then, let's go." He leaned his head over, nose nudging at the Salamander. "Flame, wake up, friend. We require your assistance."

Flame shifted where he lay, eyes fluttering open as he croaked a question.

"I'm not sure why Louise has asked for us, but it appears important. Please rouse yourself and come with us."

Flame croaked again, but staggered to his feet while his tail reignited. It hadn't occurred to Louise that the flame on his tail had gone out, but it was likely to keep him from burning down the stable.

Now that she had them both, Louise waved for them to follow her. They had to take the larger stable door, ala Neb, but Neb and Flame looked decidedly unimpressed with Louise when she gestured to the water basins. "You want Flame to heat the water? That's why you woke him up?"

Louise groaned in the face of their incredulity, feeling embarrassment make her heart beat painfully. "If I didn't wake him up, the others would have. Also, where's Gucihe in there? I thought he was staying in the stalls as well."

Neb snorted. "He's in one of the unoccupied stalls. Lucky sod, got himself fresh hay and all."

Flame croaked, apparently surrendering to his job. Neb nodded at him. "Agreed, may as well get it over with. Alright, Louise, let's hear what you have to say."

Louise nodded, but pointed to the basins. "Let me get in the big basin first. Then we'll talk while you keep an eye out."

Neb rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated. "And there's the ulterior motive. Alright, Flame, get on with it."

Flame croaked and waddled over to the basins, placing his tail under the copper metal. He huffed and made his flame grow even more intense, making the water start to lightly steam shortly thereafter.

Louise smiled at him. "Thanks, Flame. I'll make sure to give you some coke coals later."

Flame croaked his glee at the offer before waddling out of hearing distance. A salamander he may be, but his familiar's brand gave him enough intelligence to know that what was about to be said was private.

Neb stared at Louise as she disrobed and slid into the gloriously warm water. Louise felt no discomfort at his gaze, having long since realized that while Neb was sentient, he had no interest in anything remotely human.

Silence stretched for a time before Louise realized Neb was letting her take the first step. "Say, Neb... have you ever been in love?"

Neb's head snaked back, shock flashing across his face, before settling into incredulity. "Love? You wish to ask a hydra about love?"

Louise sighed, sinking a little further into the basin. "I know, a silly question right? But... I find myself somewhat... lost as to what to do on something. You see... I'm engaged."

Neb couldn't answer in the face of that revelation. All he could do was lower his head until he was eye level with Louise.

Louise kept her eyes on the water, her knees rising to her chest. "His name is Sir Wardes, the Captain of Tristain's Griffin Knights. They're the most respected order short of the Manticore Knights, and he's a good, just man. But... I haven't seen him in ages and the wonder and infatuation I felt upon the engagement has... waned."

Neb kept his eyes trained on her, Louise looking to her left to find the large gold eye staring at her, enraptured. She blushed a bit at the attention, but pressed on. She was on a roll now after all. "I find myself... staring at others, and it's hurting me to think all the effort my family used to secure such a prestigious engagement for their failure of a daughter is going to waste."

Neb spoke for the first time, his voice hushed. "Is your family so dead set on this marriage? And even then, who would capture your attention enough to make such a strong, dutiful girl as yourself falter?"

Neb knew damn well who they were, he wasn't blind, but he needed to hear Louise say it as much as Louise needed to say it.

"My family's completely set on the marriage, but it's only with these thoughts that I realize a danger that I represent. When they catch wind of this... adventure of mine, my mother will doubtlessly hunt me down and drag me home, if not render me kindling on the spot."

Neb blinked, not expecting that answer. "Oh... well, how about the ones that make you stare? There's little I can do about your family, but I may be able to help with this."

Louise smiled for the first time since he'd seen her that night. "Well... you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

Neb nuzzled her cheek, Louise giggling at the smooth feeling of his scales. "I promise, Louise. Feel free to tell me everything."

Louise's smile slowly vanished, her forehead coming to rest on her knees. "I... I stare at them everyday. When they run and I see their lithe form, their legs, their hips, their stomach, their... breasts..."

Louise's form began to shake, sobs making the water splash. Neb pressed his nose against her forehead, pulling her face up for him to see. Louise continued through the hiccups. "I *hic* stare at my* hic* friends, Neb! I stare at Siesta, I stare at *hic* Tabitha, I even stare at Kirche! Guiche, bless him, is handsome and has only become more so under your training, but I feel nothing when looking at him!"

Her sobs became harder, Neb doing his best to keep her head above the water. It took a few minutes and some spilled water for Louise to calm down, but her voice was heavy with despair and sadness when she spoke again. "I... am the kind of girl reviled by society. My parents will disown me should the truth come to light, my eldest sister will think me a freak! And Cattleya, oh, what will she think? And my friends? What will they do? Will they abandon me like anyone else would?"

She started rocking back and forth in the basin, the water long since lukewarm. "I don't know what to do Neb... I like girls, even though I am a girl... and it frightens me. I don't want to lose my family, or my friends, but I can't deny this anymore!"

Neb, heart aching at the sight of his diminutive master/daughter, for he was seriously beginning to see her as such, in such misery, did the only thing he could. His head dipped into the water and his neck coiled around her.

It was a testament to the raw despair gripping Louise's mind that she didn't protest the action, only sobbing as he gently puller her from the bathe and place her next to his great chest. "Louise... lean your head against my chest."

Louise did so despondently, her ear finding a warm, soft spot between his scales. A moment later, she heard a rhythmic beat that could only be one thing. "That's... your heart?"

Neb smiled at her, eyes shining in the moonlight. "It is, Louise. Here and now, I promise this to you. The brand upon my leg marks you as my master, but you have accepted me as family. On this night, I in turn recognize you as my family, and I will do everything I can to see you through every hardship you come across. I will never betray you Louise, and I will always lend an ear. You need only ask."

Louise felt tears flow from her eyes in a torrent, Neb's words soothing an ache that had been so long ignored. She buried her nose into the soft flesh, relishing the warmth he held and the steady rhythm of his heart.

They stayed there for what seemed an eternity before Louise finally got her emotions under control. She slowly pulled back from Neb's embrace and grabbed her discarded clothes. Once she had everything and changed into her night gown, she looked back to Neb with a smile. "Thank you, Neb. I know I said this when we left the Academy, but I'm really glad I summoned you. You're the best anyone could ever ask for."

Neb preened a bit at the praise. "Think nothing of it, Louise. My oath stands in stone, and I will prove it however many times it takes for you or anyone else to believe it."

Louise shook her head, mirth finally returning to her eyes. "I'll have to take you up on that. Well, I'm off to sleep, thanks again."

Neb dipped his head and Louise vanished into the inn. Neb turned and strode back to his spot, nodding to Flame on the way back. As he lay there, he knew that Louise had given him more information than what she'd simply said.

 _A matriarch that will hunt her down and a broken engagement to a high ranking noble. Grudges are held as scripture in this world if what she says is the truth, and we will doubtlessly have to prepare for it. Then, there's the matter of how she described the target of her affection, or should I say targets. To think, she'd fall for three woman of such separate temperaments and they her. Truly, a mind-boggling conundrum._

His head fell to its original spot and he felt sleep slowly come to claim him. There was not he could do tonight, but there was plenty of work to do from here on out.

After all, calling this group his clutch wasn't that far from the truth.

 _– Kirche –_

Flame was oddly tight lipped when he was lighting the water, even when Kirche had tried to get him to spill. She wasn't curious or cruel enough to force his paw with their bond, but the mystery still left Kirche vaguely frustrated as she entered the room.

But, all that agitation melted away at the sight before her. Montmorency was out like a light, already tossing and turning like she'd said. Then, there were Siesta and Tabitha, both already asleep after taking the baths before her. Then, there was Louise, the love of Kirche's life snuggled peacefully into the bed they would share.

The thought made her stop from leaping onto the mattress. Kirche may be a flirt and a proud one at that, but there was something in the picture of Louise's serene form that made all that hot-headed and passion fueled innuendo fall away.

Her body moved as if directed by an unseen hand, her steps light and quiet until she was beside the bed. Louise's face was the picture of peace, as Kirche had expected, and the sight of it made her heart slow and quiver.

There was no way she would disturb her rest, especially for some half-baked flirtation that was likely to end in disaster. Instead, Kirche slowly lifted the sheets and slid into the space she made, carefully molding her body until it was lined up with Louise, yet not touching.

As Kirche stared, she felt the temptation to close the distance between them. Louise was fast asleep, and that dark part of her mind told her that she could claim what no others could right then and there.

She could claim Louise's first kiss.

She squashed the thought and simply made herself comfortable, letting the warmth and peace of the night slowly lull her to sleep. But, right when she was on the border of blissful rest, she felt Louise's arms close around her body, the smaller girl embracing Kirche lightly.

Kirche froze, not sure what to do. She'd had dreams where she and Louise would cuddle before engaging in more exciting activities, but that Louise was an older, fuller form... which the one across from her was getting very close to, now that she thought about it.

 _Amazing what a diet not solely consisting of sweets combined with rigorous exercise could do_.

That errant thought fled as Louise snuggled a little closer, her head nearly resting on Kirche's breast. Kirche wasn't sure what possessed her to do what she did next, and she still wouldn't be able to answer when asked years later.

Her arms went out and embraced Louise in turn, finally pulling Louise's ear next to Kirche's beating heart and onto her breast. Kirche smiled as Louise's face relaxed even more, sleep eventually pulling Kirche away and leaving her chin to rest on the crown of Louise's head.

In truth, this was what she wanted. To go to sleep every night with Louise in her arms. Then, they'd awake the following morning and share loving kisses until the day's chores called them away.

Or they did something a little more exciting. This was Kirche after all.

It was just a fantasy she knew, but it was one she would hold onto with all her might that night. Perhaps it was fate being kind or cruel, but Kirche's ears did not hear Louise mutter 'Neb' as Kirche's heartbeat suffused her mind. Though it made up for that slight by painting a truly perverted grin on Louise's face.

Then it sent everything tumbling once more as the wheel turned on the next act.

 _– Galton, Fields –_

"Hey, boss, when are we goin' to get the gold?"

The voice was silenced with a thwack, the moon lighting the great stalks of wheat that spread for miles around Galton. Even then, it only showed a group of four figures staying just beyond the fields, one nursing a sore head.

"Quiet you idiot, we'll go get it before long. First, we gotta take their mind off things."

One of the men lifted a parcel from his back, a large shaft leading to a rune encrusted cloth covering the blade.

One of the other men gaped at the object. "Is that the thing, the one Javert used on them patrols?"

The man with the parcel smirked ferally, the cloth falling away to reveal an obsidian black axe head with red veins running through it and flames licking at the metal. "That's right! We get ta use the big boy to throw all these pansies into a panic. Then, we can pick the gold off their burning corpses."

The last man grunted. "Just get it over with. I ain't got enough booze to see you showboatin'.

The man with the axe growled, but stepped up to the edge of the fields. He smiled viciously and lifted the axe high over his head before yelling at his underlings. "Tell me the word again!"

The one complaining about alcohol sighed. "Phlegethon."

The axe-man nodded. "Sounds right. Ok, Phlegethon!"

The axe glowed in response, the man holding it laughing as he swung.

The axe descended in a brilliant arc of fire and ash.

And the world became flame.

 **Ch. End.**

 **Geez, I need to stop making such huge freaking chapters.**

 **Louise: Hey, don't complain. You're the one that decides how much to write.**

 **Neb: She's got a point.**

 **7: Yes, yes, I know. I put that there to try and remind myself. Anyway, reviews!**

 **Meanigless Us3rname: Monmon is Guiche's that much is truth, but not for the reason you may think. As shown above, it's actually rather hard to balance the dynamics of the harem in a semi-realistic manner. As such, it would be near impossible to create actual characters if I added another on top of Henrietta's eventual addition. Glad you like the rest though!**

 **OBSERVER01: At some point, yes, but not for a little while. Tristain may be a small country when looking at a map, but that still involves thousands of square miles. Not to mention, their scents have long since faded by the time Karin arrived at the Academy, so even a manticore wouldn't be able to catch a whiff.**

 **Crimson Grave: A huge review that I can only cover briefly. I'm glad you enjoy the presentation of the characters and I really hope you'll like my presentation of Monmon as the story goes. Besides, as they stand they're green with only marginal true training. After all, it takes six months to make a half-way decent swordsman and only Louise is close to that mark. Finally, Ozpin. He does get a bad rap, but he's known as the Sandstorm. Sandstorms are known to rip flesh from bone with little trouble, so of course he's powerful!**

 **AnimeA55kicker: As seen in the chapter proper, Louise is starting to fill out. My personal head-canon has her early attempts at escape from depression lead to a sweets addiction that crippled her growth. Now that she's getting what she needs along with Neb's training, she's starting to become what she could have been long ago.**

 **Poliamida: You'll see! Should be fun when Mother and Daughter meet, no?**

 **Kiden: That's been fixed! Also, I can't say what the true power of the Voice of God is, but there's a hint hidden in this chapter. Good luck spotting it!**

 **MasterxMaster: Hey, thanks for the review!**

 **Venemous dragons bite: Going ham's a ways off into the future and do you really think Joseph's going to be that easy?**

 **Greatthunder: Her family does see her as a lost cause magically, but that doesn't mean they don't care. They wouldn't set up a marriage that set Louise up for life with a likeable man if it solely benefited themselves after all. But, Louise is at fault for this lack of news too, since their communication systems are poor outside the capital and lots can happen on long trips before anyone finds out. She did forget to send letters after Neb was summoned, outside of a few that were waiting the family until they got back.**

 **As for why Cattleya didn't see them earlier, well, that's a secret.**

 **DARSASSAN: I've already PM'd you about this, so I'm just glad you're enjoying things!**

 **Guest: Personally, I always hear his voice as Robin Williams.**

 **Codexrun: This doesn't qualify as soon sadly, but I'm glad you enjoy!**

 **SonatiShinonome: That particular cloak is not here, the only things being the local macguffins and a surprise. Besides that, I know you need magic sense, but Neb's still trying to teach her the spells proper, let alone that particular branch.**

 **Sazq: I'm glad you've enjoyed it! As you can tell, these are of a much greater quality then some of the earlier chapters on account of my wonderful beta, RandomNPC247. Hope you like this one too!**

 **Alright, that's everyone! Hope you all enjoy the chapter and have a great rest of your day!**

 **–**

 ** _Editor's note: Sorry for the long wait. Life has been busy and work has been keeping me busier than normal since we're on a four man skeleton crew for a 24/7 shift schedule between us. That plus family issues have made it hard to focus on editing. As such, we're looking for a second beta – just someone who can take part of the load so that these can get posted closer to when they're actually written, rather than waiting a month and a half or more on me to manage to sit down without interruptions or distractions for a few hours straight._**

 **Should anyone be interested in offering their services, please PM me. I will send you one of the earlier chapters through DocX so you can show me how you work, but it is a first come first served offer. The first one to send me back edits that I and RandomNPC247 like will get the position. Also, no offers through reviews, please keep those related to the story proper.**

 **Again, we're really sorry about the wait everyone, but hopefully adding a new beta along with me being on summer break will make this story update more often. *Knocks on Wood***


	16. Happy Anniversary!

Hiya!

As is obvious, this is not a true update, but I wanted to post something today.

For those of you who don't know why, today is the first anniversary of this story! That's right, 'A Zero of Many Masks' is now an entire year old!

I really want to thank everyone who's followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. I also want to thank everyone's who's reviewed with a helpful bit of advice or a little part of the story that needed some tweaking. You've also helped me give more thought into how this story was going to happen and it ended up taking a completely different turn than I originally imagined.

The way I was originally going to do this story was have the hydra, who eventually became Neb, act as a stealer of voices with Louise eventually adopting the role of 'The Faceless' courtesy of one too many spy novels. This would work by the hydra using the familiar bond to speak through Louise and have them act as an independent force in the underworld. But, as I did more research, I came across the idea of using the connection FoZ has with other universes to add some spice to the story and more or less escape from politics, at least for a time.

Then I discovered 'Long Live the Queen' and the rest is history.

I will also take this time to again announce the search for a second beta in addition to RandomNPC247. He has grown very busy recently and we would both prefer to get the chapters out closer to when they're written rather than having to wait more than a month due to real life commitments. Should you be interested, please PM me with what you can do. I'll send you one of the earlier, unedited, chapters and we'll see how you do. Should both RNPC247 and I like the edits, you get the position. As such, the offer is first come, first served, but quality reigns over speed too. Don't try and be first and send us something bad.

Now that that's out of the way, I can again thank you all. And, to give you guys something fun to do while I work on the next chapter, the next part of the story is in you hands.

The question? What artifact should the group go after next? The Mountain Cleaver has appeared after all, but we need to think ahead or everything gets bogged in poor foreshadowing that may end up going nowhere.

Each weapon lines up with a scenario I have made and will affect how the plot goes forward significantly. The final end that I envision will not change, but the journey there certainly will change. It's up to you guys, so here are the options! Each has the artifact and a single word describing the scenario in extremely broad terms.

Cleansing Staff: Nightmare

Oblivion: Journey

Sword of Nemesis: Corruption

Angelic Alliance: Sacrifice

Have fun everyone, and happy anniversary!

*Poppers go off from Neb's maws, several party hats tied to his heads*


	17. The Blaze

**This time for sure, we get out before the month is up!**

 **Neb: Good luck.**

 **Louise: I feel sorry for the villagers. We show up and their fields get burned.**

 **7: Coincidence, my dear girl. Now then, positions people!**

 _The Blaze_

It was quiet when the fields fell to the blaze.

All the villagers were tucked snugly into their homes, with the small garrison having returned to their barracks for the night. Only a few guards remained posted as a simple formality, and they were lazy, most having dozed off at their posts.

Even as the blaze consumed the harvest and raced for the stone walls in search for more fuel to burn, a wicked wind blew the smoke well away from the noses of the sleeping people.

However, the wind could not mask the sudden bloom of heat that the fire brought, and Flame's eyes shot open in alarm. He may not have known exactly what was happening, but a life of avoiding sudden eruptions had taught him that any rapid increase in temperature was deadly.

Flame hopped to his feet and started pushing against Neb, croaking with all the urgency he could muster. Neb wouldn't wake though, his bulk simply too much for the smaller Flame to jostle effectively. His panic growing, Flame felt the odd pattern on the base of his tail start itching.

Knowledge filled his mind, and he knew that he had to alert his master through the strange mark. Focusing, he sent an urgent warning toward the mark and let it do the rest.

Now, it was time to try for Verdandi.

 _-Kirche-_

Kirche's eyes snapped open and her breath caught in her throat as a burst of panic invaded her mind.

The urge to flee gripped her limbs and she flailed out of the bed, inadvertently striking Louise and landing on the floor with a hard thud.

Louise bolted upright, nursing a sore shoulder as she tried to gain her bearings from the rude awakening. "What was that for?!"

The yell woke Montmorency and Tabitha, the light sleepers springing from their beds. Siesta had woken when she heard flesh hit flesh and was already beside the still panicking Kirche. "Lady Kirche, what's wrong?!"

Kirche panted hard, eyes darting about everywhere as she tried to calm herself down. It took several seconds and Siesta's calming hand, but she got her breathing under control. "I… I don't know. I was sleeping peacefully, and then I felt this sudden surge of panic."

Tabitha narrowed her eyes at the explanation, her gaze focusing on Kirche's uncovered eye. "…Eye changed."

Kirche reached for her eye, but Montmorency's hand snatched it and held it in place. "No, hold still. Tabitha's right, your eye did change, and it looks just like Flame's."

Louise finally swallowed her indignation at being woken and spoke up. "What does that mean? Does it have something to do with the familiar markings?"

Tabitha nodded. "…Familiars can send feelings through link. Only when very stressed."

Louise frowned and ran to the window in the room. "Hold on, I think I see something."

She opened one of the panes and looked toward the east, her facing slowly growing ashen. "That's… not good."

Tabitha joined her, leaving Kirche to recover with Montmorency and Siesta. She looked in the same direction as Louise and outright paled. "…Oh no."

The blaze that had started in the fields had grown to tower over the walls of the village, flames reaching dozens of feet into the air. There was still no smell, but the dull roar of the flames was clear over the otherwise still night.

But what drew the attention of Tabitha were the strange figures in the flame. They rose into the air and fell back into the flames, as if chasing the remnants of the village's livelihood.

Louise flew from the room, on a mission to wake the familiars and Guiche. Tabitha turned around and walked back to Kirche's side. "Montmorency, Siesta, go wake everyone up. There's a fire coming."

Siesta took off immediately, recognizing the urgency in the command. Monmorency was a little slower. "A fire? But, from what? It isn't as though there's a storm outside..."

Tabitha glared at the blonde. "Not the time; just go. Help try to put it out."

Montmorency groaned, but stood and jogged from the room, shouting over her shoulder. "You think I don't know that? I just wish I didn't have to do this is my sleepwear!"

Tabitha heard a gasping laugh come from Kirche, her face dripping in cold sweat. "Well… I guess Flame's gone and saved us. If you're panicked about it, that fire could burn down everything."

Had the situation not been serious, Tabitha would have smiled a little. "…Not in labor, stand up. Best we get out there shortly."

Kirche groaned, but stood. Her balance was a little unsteady, but she steadied herself and picked up speed as she followed Tabitha out of the room.

They found the ground floor full of shouting patrons, most of them trying to shove themselves through the front doors. They couldn't see Louise or Montmorency, but Siesta was attempting to organize the other guests.

Tabitha looked to the back, nodding when she saw the door ajar. "Went out back. Come on."

She took off for the door, pulling a spare wand from a hidden pocket in her nightwear. Kirche blinked at the sight of the wand, but silently thanked her own foresight in remembering to grab her own.

Bursting into the area behind the inn, Tabitha and Kirche spotted their familiars along with Louise, Guiche, and Neb. They were arguing about something neither could hear, but Louise looked very upset.

Jogging up to the argument, they caught Neb's voice. "…villagers can take care of themselves! Yes, it's a big blaze, but you have no power to fight this fire! Guiche can construct walls or trenches, Montmorency can spray it along with Tabitha and Kirche can control the spread. You cannot do any of that!"

Louise growled at him. "It is my duty as a noble to protect those under me, regardless of incident!"

Kirche chose to interject. "Neb, the villagers obviously aren't prepared for this. Even if it's just a bucket, we'll need all the help we can get to try and contain it."

Neb growled. "We do not know the extent of this fire. Yes, it reaches high into the air, but it all depends if it's localized or not."

"Then let us do that!" Louise screeched. "Your stonewalling is wasting time here!"

Neb hissed. "I stall because we don't know. Besides, Siesta is not with us and we all make a decision as a group."

Louise put her foot down. "Neb, you swore to trust my judgement on this, and by Brimir, I am making a decision. I am going to the walls and helping fight this fire, both because it's the right thing to do, and because we could get cleared faster in gratitude."

Neb blinked. "Oh… Well, you make a fair point there. Forgive my anger; I was caught off guard with how sudden this blaze is."

Louise huffed, but Guiche snapped his fingers. "Apologies solve nothing, we must go now. We will meet with Siesta later; for now, we run."

He followed his own advice and took off, Louise gladly running after him. Kirche and Tabitha shared amused looks before sprinting after their friends.

They heard Neb spit a curse before his footfalls sounded behind them and a whoosh of air signaled Sylphid's flight. Their race through the village would have been beyond scandalous had it not been for the fire. As it was, not a single villager so much as glanced at them. Most were too panicked about the size and speed of the fire, but there were a few brave souls rushing in the same direction as Louise and her company.

Guiche was the first to arrive, his long strides carrying him up the stairs that led to the top of the wall. Louise was several strides behind him, but heard his voice from the top of the wall. "My God."

Louise finally reached the top of the walls and gaped at the sight before her, her words echoing Guiche's own. "My God."

Before them lay an entire sea of flame and ash. Orange, red, yellow, and white danced and roared over the once green fields and reached with hungry fingers towards the stone walls that stood between them and the lives within.

Beyond the spectacle of light, there was a distinct shape to the fire. While wide enough to give the impression of a sea, there were distinct borders to the fire where the flames simply did not cross. In other words, it looked like a burning, boiling river far too wide to be natural.

Then, there were the shapes in the flame. They were indistinct and fleeting, but lizards and humanoids of varying sizes and shapes could be seen leaping and screaming in the flames, like the denizens of hell.

"Neb was right," Louise whispered. "This is beyond any of us. What hope have we against such a blaze?"

Guiche's wand appeared in his hand. "Whatever hope we can give, dear Louise. The fire is most certainly unnatural – the borders you've no doubt noticed say as much. Since we know it is somewhat confined, it can be fought. Shall we?"

Louise bit her lip, turning around at the sound of feet thudding up the stairs. "Tabitha, Monmon, can you start trying to push back the flames? If we can get it further away, Guiche can surround it."

Montmorency shook her head, fear showing in her eyes. "Are you nuts? I can't conjure that much water, especially in this heat. It'll evaporate before it hits the base."

Tabitha shook her head. "…Ice the same. Winds would only make it worse."

Louise looked to Kirche. "Can you try and direct the flame then? If we can see the base more clearly, then maybe…"

Kirche didn't answer, apparently entranced by the flame. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was swaying side to side slightly. She also wasn't sweating, even as the heat made the others start sweating through their clothes.

Louise walked up to Kirche and snapped her fingers. "Kirche! Zerbst! Wake up, we need you right now!"

Kirche blinked and her eyes snapped to Louise. "Huh, what?"

Louise frowned. "I was asking if you could manipulate the flame. Can you make it so we can see the base?"

Kirche shook her head, sweat finally forming again. "I think, but it'll need to be piecemeal. That blaze is too big for anyone short of a square class mage to control."

Louise looked to Montmorency and Tabitha. "Can you work in smaller areas then? Anything helps."

Montmorency looked back to the blaze. "…Let me see what you can do, Zerbst. I'll know then."

Kirche shrugged. "Alright, here. _Entfernte Flamme_."

Her wand pointed at the border of the flame, by this point nearly touching the wall. A portion, about as long as Neb's tail, quivered and slowly retreated until a clear line was marked in the earth.

Tabitha's wand shot forward, her own spell on her lips. " _Champ de glace_."

Ice sprung up where the fire once was, the solid swiftly melting and pushing the fire back almost a dozen feet.

Louise was about to crow her victory when a hellish screech sounded from the flame and a flaming lizard leapt from the fire, jaws aimed squarely at Tabitha. It jumped so quickly that no one had time to react, even as the demon closed in.

Then, it cried in pain as a black and purple maw snatched the demon out of the air. The maw shook the demon before the sound of breaking bones cracked the air and the beast went limp and dissipated.

Neb looked at the fire, not caring of the embers that surrounded his jaw. "This is no mere fire. Those lizards are fire dragons, and the humanoids are elementals. What in Malassa's name are those things doing here?"

Montmorency screeched at that information. "Fire dragons? Elementals? What are you talking about?"

Neb glanced to her. "They are of my world, if much lesser. This can only mean one thing…"

Louise gulped. "One of the artifacts, it was used."

Neb growled, seeing more of the lesser dragons and elementals start slithering towards the disturbance. "Louise, provide defense for the others. Those creatures will attack whenever you push the fire back or halt its progress. I leave the actual pushing back of the fire to you."

His head snaked away and Louise tried to catch his attention. "Neb, where are you going?!"

Neb didn't look back. "To get information. If anyone knows how to end this blaze, it shall be the Dark One."

Louise grit her teeth before twirling and pointing at the blaze. "Don't let a single ember past this wall! If you see any villagers try to throw water on it, warn them away!"

Guiche snapped to attention. "I will have my golems dig the trenches as deep as they can! Monmorency, my dear, fill them with water when you have the time!"

Montmorency grunted, water flying from her wand as Kirche pushed back more sections. "If I can! Louise, we have lizards!"

Louise's wand appeared in her hand, pointing at the three lizards that had leapt from the flames. _"Arcane Bolt!"_

An arrow of pure magic flew from her wand, erasing one of the lizards. Two more flew from the wand with another shout and the other two dissipated. "Keep it up! We'll drown this blaze if nothing else!"

Her friends roared in agreement, minus Tabitha, naturally, and renewed their assault.

It made those still fleeing the scene, after seeing the young adults so ferociously fighting the blaze, duck their heads in shame and run faster.

 _-Neb-_

Even in their panic, the villagers parted before Neb like water approaching a boulder. He paid them no mind as he stormed towards the Gnome's Den, not caring if he nearly ran over someone in his haste.

Neb spotted both the inn and Siesta at the same time, the maid accompanied by a harried looking man in purple robes and a severe looking woman in plate-mail. "Siesta!"

The man and woman stopped short, looking about for the voice while Siesta ran up to Neb. "Sir Neb, I got as many people to the other side of the village as I could. Where are Lady Louise and the others?"

Neb gestured back to the wall he'd come from, the jets of water flying into the air and numerous lizards and demons of fire hopping towards a certain spot. "They're over there. Go to the room and grab Derflinger, he'll be of great use in combating this blaze."

Siesta's eyes went wide. "Then it's magical?! I'll be right there!"

Siesta ran into the inn, reappearing with a chattering Derflinger barely minutes later. She spared no further words to Neb as she ran with all possible speed to help her friends.

Neb nodded when she was out of sight before turning to the gaping man and woman. "Now is not the time to question my talent of speech. Go and help the villagers, it will be explained later."

The woman's jaw clamped shut and bodily dragged the man towards the fire. Neb spared them and the glowing skyline one last glance before trotting to the back door of the inn and stretching his neck as far as it would go.

It was enough for him to reach the window of the girls' room and he pressed the windows in. No one was there, thankfully, so Neb inched close to a wrapped package on the floor and undid the bindings with his tongue.

Raelag's staff stared back at him, a familiar sheen in the eyes of the head. A moment later, Malassa's voice, in the form of the Stern Darkness this time, spoke. "Your quest bares fruit, it seems. Why are you here, and not on the hunt?"

It was phrased as a question, but carried the sound of a demand. "I come because we face Arkath's spawn. The Fire Dragons are too powerful to be summoned from such a small amount of the Fire God's blood, but their lesser are here all the same."

Neb saw surprise spark in the staff's eyes. "Indeed… This mystery matters not, at least for the moment. I will speak to my brother, but do not expect me to give the information without cost."

Neb sighed. "As with all things, Keeper of Deadly Secrets. Is there a way to slay this flame quickly, or must we simply beat it back the old-fashioned way?"

A flash and a snort were his answer before the staff grew inert once more. Neb sighed, before pulling his head back down and galloping back to where he'd left his diminutive master.

Considering the growing volume of both roars and blasts as he got closer, any less speed and he may never see her again.

 _-Louise-_

Never in her life had Louise used so much magic.

The fire lizards were relentless, every blast of water and ice being met with another charge. At first, a single Arcane Bolt had been enough to slay the creatures, but the further back the flame was pushed, the more powerful and numerous the lizards became.

Now, she was firing the much more powerful, and more tiring, Implosion spells. It didn't help that Guiche's golems were being melted by the intense flame, or that the damn lizards could just jump over the hard dug trenches and start the fire all over again.

It was here that Kirche proved her worth, directing the large flames away from the drying areas where the fire had been put out earlier and towards the ice and water blasts of Tabitha and Montmorency. Even then, it was tough going, as the fire got further away from the wall and harder to effectively aim at or control.

Louise turned an especially large lizard inside out with another Implosion, the resulting blast taking another three with it. "I can't keep this up! You may not see it, but this nightgown went see through a while ago!"

Kirche snarled in concentration. "You and every lady here! If it weren't for Sylphid giving us a shield, we'd never be able to show our faces in polite company again!"

Montmorency actually laughed. "What's so wrong with that? If anything, Neb would be quite happy with other nobles not wanting to interfere!"

Tabitha's brow was creased in concentration, another slab of ice forming where Kirche had pushed back the flame. "…Pride."

Guiche kept his eyes forward, even as temptation tried to drag his eyes behind him. "Less talk, ladies, I'm almost done making that moat."

Louise gasped for air as her next spell just barely slew the lizards that came out in response to Tabitha's ice. "Thank God! Remember the plan?"

Montmorency groaned before turning her water to the ground below. Guiche's golems had worked for almost thirty minutes with conjured shovels and pickaxes to dig a deep and wide ditch. Now, Montmorency used the last of her mana to fill the entire makeshift moat to the brim.

The lizards of fire paused at the moat, even as they hissed in rage. One of them took a running start and tried to leap over the moat, but its lower half landed in the water and it screeched as it died.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Louise hunched over and started gulping down air. Her throat was bone dry, and she likely stunk most terribly, but there was a sliver of satisfaction in her eyes.

An unconventional foe, to be sure, but they had responded well. Now though, how were they going to get rid of those things, along with the fire, without draining themselves dry?

Her answer came in the form of a sprinting maid galloping up the stairs to the wall. "Lady Louise! The villagers have been evacuated and I brought Sir Derflinger."

Louise smiled at Siesta, even as she silently thanked the darkness for casting shadows over her damp gown. "Thank you, Siesta, that's a great help. Would you mind pulling Derf out of his sheath? I need him to see something."

Derf's guard clattered. "Ah, no need girly. I can taste that fire magic, and I'll be honest, it's making me drool."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Well, then we can just throw you into the fire and let you eat it then."

Derf cackled. "You bet! But, I'll only be able to eat a portion of it. One of you is going to have to take me down there."

Kirche growled. "And be roasted alive? That flame is making me sweat, and I walked through Germania in summer without so much as runny makeup!"

Siesta's face grew grim. "Milady, with your permission-"

Louise glared at her. "You aren't going down there, Siesta. You're trained in knives, and that doesn't cover fighting giant flame lizards."

Siesta sighed, hugging Derflinger close. "Milady… I was only asking as a courtesy."

Siesta turned and vaulted over the wall, Louise running after her. She missed the hem of Siesta's gown and watched as her first friend fell almost twenty feet into the moat. "Siesta!"

Siesta's body splashed into the water, her dive flawless. A moment later, her head popped out of the water and she swam for the shore.

Where several fire lizards waited with hissing laughter.

Louise stared after the suicidal maid with equal parts terror and amazement. No one else said a word either until Neb's head snaked up to join them. "What happened?"

Louise merely pointed to the moat, where Siesta had drawn Derflinger. Neb hissed when he saw Siesta, his voice a roar. "Siesta! Get back here now, or so help me!"

He couldn't come up with a decent punishment at that moment, but his voice promised retribution.

Siesta ignored them, or didn't hear them, and continued on.

 _-Siesta-_

The water was a shock of icy cold, completely at odds with the sweltering heat above it.

Siesta's thoughts were not one with the situation at present before her as she climbed out. Instead of being a jabbering wreck or resolved in the face of a fiery death, she was concerned about the cold.

'Oh, I'll need to replace this gown too now. Just my luck, having this happen when I decided to wear the good one.'

Showing no real concern for the monsters all around her, and glancing down at her soaked clothing with a mournful look, she must have seemed completely mad. At the least, having time to worry about her clothes must have made her hopelessly naïve in her situation. Yet, she had a reason to feel confident.

Derflinger was bared, the steel glinting in the fire's light. The blade sought out the closest target and bellowed his challenge. "Come at me, you son of a salamander gizzard!"

The closest lizard seemed to blink before roaring and lunging at Siesta, caring only that it consume the fleshy human. Instead, Derflinger cackled and glowed, the lizard screeching in surprise before bursting into fire and flowing into the blade.

Siesta smiled, pulling herself the rest of the way from the moat, before pointing Derf's naked blade at the now retreating lizards. "Terribly sorry, but I need you all to go away. It's quite rude to disturb other's sleep, after all."

The lizards stared at her, their rudimentary minds stunned that a simple human, sopping wet and shivering, was able to make so bold a claim.

Siesta didn't give them another moment to think as her legs bent and she sprinted into the flames. The heat was enough to instantly evaporate the water on her clothes and skin, the cloth soon smoking as she went ever deeper.

The flames never touched her though, Derflinger drinking in the magical flames with an endless greed and maniacal laugh. The lizards tried again and again to turn Siesta to ash, but they all died to the endless vortex that swirled around Derflinger's blade.

Even so, the heat was cruel. Siesta had to swiftly rip off her gown as the material caught flame, her eyes shutting in an attempt to keep them from drying out. She still continued forward, the light bright even with her eyes closed, and every drop of sweat she had vaporizing the moment it appeared on her skin.

Siesta didn't know how far she'd gone, or how long she'd been running with Derflinger before her, but her eyes finally opened when the light died away. She looked around to see only a few smoldering patches of ground before her, finally turning to see how far she'd come.

"Oh… my."

The town was but a spot on the horizon, Siesta surrounded by the smoldering remains of once proud fields and not a flame in sight. Looking herself over, Siesta sighed at how much soot covered her being, and the fact she was very much naked.

'Never thought I would ever thank this infernal substance after cleaning all those chimneys. At least no one will be able to tell that I'm indecent until they get right up to me though.'

Siesta winced when she tried to walk, her eyes finding several patches of raw, red skin. If she had to guess, there were second degree burns across her arms, legs, and torso. Judging by a leathery, crunching feeling followed by a sharp lance of pain in her back, she may have a third degree burn there too.

Confused, she looked to Derflinger. "Excuse me, Sir Deflinger, but why am I not crying on the ground in pain?"

Derflinger laughed. "With all that magic I sucked in, I'm using some of the power to numb the worst of your pain. Don't let go of me though, or it'll hit ya full force."

Siesta smiled, planting a peck on his guard. "Thank you, kind sir. Would you like a nice cleaning when we return?"

Derflinger hummed. "Not a bad idea, I'll take you up on it. Well, if you survive the wrath of your friends and Mr. Hydra that is."

Siesta sighed at the reminder, but steeled her nerve and started the trek back to town. The villagers may give her a hero's welcome, but she feared what Neb had in store for her.

She feared more if Louise would even speak to her again after this.

 _-Record Hall-_

The plan had been a brilliant success!

Sure, those nobles had moved up the time table, but the entire garrison was far too busy keeping the panicking villagers safe to even notice the group working its way into the bowels of the town hall.

There they'd found their goal, gold and silver ingots that would make them rich.

Their greedy hands shoved every last scrap of metal into the bags they'd brought with them. Did it slow them down? Well yes, but they were on their way out with not a single guard in sight.

One of them was lagging behind though, his steps unsteady and liquor on his breath. The others didn't have time for him, not with the light of the blaze dying down, so they left him to try and figure himself out.

The man cursed as his accomplices disappeared around a corner, no doubt already hoofing it out of the village. "Damn, dashtards. I came up wish ta damn plan, an now?"

He laughed drunkenly, stumbling from side to side as his prize clanked over his shoulder. The weight offset his balance and he fell to the ground, cursing up a storm as he tried to stand again.

"Who's there?"

A voice, which the thief recognized as a woman, called down the alley he'd been able to make. His balance still wasn't all that sure, but he pulled a dagger from his coat. "Get out'a here lady… I'm busy."

His vision was hazy, but he could make out the brown of her hair. The woman's voice was louder, her body coming closer and letting him see a bit more clearly. "I said, who are you? Answer me, or I'll be forced to detain you."

The thief hiccupped a laugh. "Detain me? Lady, you need to find a man to do that. Get outta here before I stick ya."

The woman scoffed, and her form became even clearer. His mind was still in a haze, but it registered the armor the woman wore and the spear that was in her grip.

The meaning still didn't connect, even as the spear dropped from the woman's shoulder.

"I give you one more chance. Answer, or face the consequences."

The man's drunken mind then made an objectively dumb decision, even as it made perfect sense at that moment.

He lunged at the woman.

A moment later, the blunt of the lance crashed into the side of his head and he was out like a light.

The woman, Sergeant Carol, observed the man before walking over and opening his sack. The sight of gold and silver bars, the village's tax coin in an easier to transport form, made her turn and almost skewer the man in anger. It was only years of discipline that planted her spear into the ground, rather than the man's head.

Her breathing was labored, the adrenaline surge making her lungs heave. If Lentil wanted proof that a militia was needed, he'd have it.

She'd finally convince that stubborn mule of her intentions.

It had only taken the near theft of their tax and the destruction of their town, but it would be proven all the same.

Then, at last, she'd no longer be the disgraced child.

At long last.

 _Ch End_.

 **That seems like a good spot to end things here.**

 **As a reminder, for anyone that didn't see the anniversary post, there's a new poll for the story! Please, pick one of the four options. They determine the next artifact and a very broad description of the events that will involve it.**

 **Cleansing Staff: Nightmare**

 **Oblivion: Journey**

 **Sword of Nemesis: Corruption**

 **Angelic Alliance: Sacrifice**

 **Now, review responses!**

 **Fragment of Ring: We've already discussed this, but I thank you again for informing me!**

 **Xanothos: Because I love my readers, and welcome aboard once more!**

 **Dark beyond: A recommendation goes to 'Voidwalker' by Sakurada Kiritsugu. Hasn't updated in a long while, sadly, but it's still a good read.**

 **OBSERVER01: Glad you're enjoying and thanks for the vote! Louise will learn of her harem troubles, it'll just take time. After all, going from no love minus a sickly sister to having four girls loving you deeply is a bigstep.**

 **Xbox432: As you can see, not a lot of relationship progress this time. As for collateral damage, that'll be tallied next chapter. All we know is the town is unaffected, but what of the crops? How bad is that damage?**

 **Poliamida: It's weird having a story reach a birthday, truth be told. Thanks for the vote, and let me tell you, Nightmare is all kinds of fun. The others are too, so don't let that sway you.**

 **Mad God 42: Yay, birthday! *Eats cake***

 **Eon: Journey is a very broad description. Don't let the idea wash away any fun you may have with the other ideas.**

 **DARSASSAN: I understand your wants to include more stuff, but I don't want this to turn into a full on world fusion. We'll get more involvement from Neb's world as time goes by, but for now, the artifacts and he are the only parts.**

 **DschingisKhan: I understand having the other girls slowly come to love each other, but Louise is the focal point for now. Their relationships will develop at a slower pace due to this, even if they all currently stand as friends.**

 **Also, who says Reconquista and Wales already happened? All it takes is a slight change, like a couple key forts being held for longer than originally thought, to keep everything on track. Besides, we have to go to Albion at some point.**

 **Some random guy: Thank you for the vote, and I do plan on delaying that meeting for a while. Louise will come to face her mother when the time is right, not when she can be rendered mulch on sight.**

 **MinotaurKing: Thanks for the vote, but only the first one gets counted. Remember, this is for the next one they'll be going after, not the order of all of them.**

 **Alright, that's all I have! Thanks again for reading everyone and please give your thanks to both xanothos and RandomNPC247 for their amazing beta work.**


	18. Scars

**Alright, let's do this thing!**

 **Louise: Do you have a way to get myself and the others to safety while keeping our dignity?**

 **Neb: I'm curious about that as well. It doesn't truly matter one way or another, but it would be amusing none the less.**

 **Louise: How can you say that?! None of us are married, the embarrassment would kill everyone save Kirche!"**

 **Kirche: No, I'd be on the floor too. I may be one to flaunt, but even I have some dignity.**

 **Tabitha:…Surprising.**

 **7: Guys, can you take your spots please? Monmon's shooting daggers at us as is and Guiche is trying to entertain himself.**

 ***Cast scatters***

 **Good, now then, back to the show!**

 _Scars_

Watching Siesta run into the blaze was perhaps the single most frightening moment of Louise's life.

Seeing her come back caked in soot, and using strips of burnt cloth to cover herself was perhaps the most relieved Louise had ever felt.

Neb was the first to scale the wall and land in front of Siesta, giving her a blanket before tearing into her with the most heated rant Louise had ever heard from his mouth.

She didn't want to go into details, but the short version was Neb calling Siesta an idiot. A heroic idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. Which was good, because Louise simply felt too drained to give a proper rant of her own like she wanted to.

After that, Louise and the others had quietly walked back to their room in the inn and changed, glad to be free of their soiled clothes. They all stank and were bone tired, but it was a small price for defending the town.

Then, they waited, both for Siesta to join them with Neb, and for the inevitable meeting with whoever led the town.

Siesta didn't take long to arrive, and as she entered, she found the room silent. Her head was down and she refused to look anyone in the eye as she made her way to the small chest that held her clothes.

The long silence reigned while Siesta changed, only a hiss of pain prompting the first word. "Siesta, come here."

Siesta stopped and meekly walked over to Montmorency, the blonde looking over the other girl's arms and legs. Montmorency sighed. "You're burned. Hold still, I'll take care of it."

Siesta remained silent as Montmorency called forth the last dregs of her magic. The healing water sluggishly appeared from the air and settled onto the burns, soothing the blisters and repairing the skin. It wasn't a complete heal, and Montmorency was pulling out bandages after finishing, but Siesta's entire frame relaxed significantly.

"Louise," Montmorency called, "could you take the lavender and witch hazel out of my bags? The second-degree burns are healed, but there's a third-degree burn on her back."

Louise hopped from her seat, walking over and digging through the bags of herbs while Montmorency directed Siesta to lie down. Louise didn't see the wound immediately, but judging by a sharp intake of air by Montmorency, it must have been bad.

Finding the herbs, Louise pulled out a mortar and pestle and started grinding the them into a paste. Kirche walked up next to her and presented a small capsule of lotion. "Put the hazel in this after you grind it up. It'll help with the burn."

Louise nodded and took the lotion. After grinding the hazel into a paste, she mixed it with the lotion and passed it to Montmorency, before starting on the lavender. "Tabitha, would you fill that cup with some water?"

Tabitha did so, passing it to Louise alongside a glass beaker. Again, silence reigned as Louise finished grinding the lavender and stirring it into the cup, before pouring the mixture into the beaker and setting it on a small stand that Kirche had set up.

"Kirche, if you would."

Kirche flicked her wrist and a small, free floating flame bloomed under the beaker. Louise fixed a metal tube around the neck of the beaker and placed a clean cup under the exit spout.

No sound interrupted the room's quiet save the slowly boiling water and the soft drip of fresh oil being distilled. At least, until Siesta couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why?"

Movement ceased, all eyes turning to Siesta. The maid's face was still buried in the bed she was lying on, but her voice was thick with emotion. "Aren't… aren't you mad? Sir Neb was… and I know I worried you all… so why won't you get it over with?"

Louise frowned, but kept her eyes on the apparatus. The last thing they needed was for this to fall over and have them lose the oil.

Guiche, who was kindly waiting outside the room but could hear any conversation they had, answered. "Frankly, dear Siesta, all of us are upset. However, your health is far more important to all of us than that. Besides, Neb has already scolded you. Now, just let us care for you. After all, suicidal recklessness aside, you saved many lives tonight. If that doesn't deserve a reward of some sort, I don't know what does."

Kirche picked up from there. "He's right, you know. I will admit to being quite cross with you, but there's no point telling you off when Neb's already done it. We probably wouldn't be able to come up with anything that wouldn't just be repeating him. As for my show of thanks to the heroine of the day, I'll be taking the couch. You get some proper rest."

Tabitha spoke next, before Siesta could get a word in. "…Feel the same. Your decision was rash, but it worked out in the end."

Louise took the cup from under the spigot, a pool of oil shining on the bottom. "Here you go, Monmon. It's a bit hot."

Montmorency took the cup gratefully. "Thank you. Now, Siesta, I'm going to have to remove the dead skin. You won't feel it with the burn itself, but the area around it is going to be tender. Just bear with me, okay?"

Siesta nodded silently, her arms hiding her face. Montmorency took out a pair of tweezers, normally used for plucking eye lashes, and delicately began to remove the dead skin. After several minutes of careful plucking, Montmorency placed the last of the crisped remains into a bowl and took the cup of lavender oil in hand. "Alright, this may sting."

She carefully poured the oil onto the wound, wincing every time Siesta whimpered. "Louise, could you slather those gauze in the lotion?"

Louise did so, silently wondering what she'd say to Siesta. The only one who'd known the maid as long as Louise had was Tabitha, and they had nowhere near the same amount of interaction as Louise did. If anything, seeing the angry red circle that surrounded an unnaturally black patch on Siesta's back had only made Louise worry more.

Honestly, she wanted to hold Siesta close and never let go. Whilst a commoner, Siesta had been her only real friend in a long time, and that had slowly morphed into love. That's what made the suicidal charge so wrenching, and Siesta's return so relieving.

It made Louise want to be brave.

"Louise, she's okay now. Why don't you and the others go and meet with Neb, I'm sure you'll need to talk with someone."

Louise blinked at Montmorency's offer. "No… I think we should all rest. Um, is it alright if I do the bandages? I'd like to speak with my handmaid, privately please."

Montmorency frowned at her before shaking her head. "I suppose. Everyone here knows how, so at least I know it'll be done properly. Guiche, would you join me downstairs? I feel like some water is in order, after standing so near to a fire."

Guiche called his agreement and the two left for the bar downstairs. Kirche and Tabitha shared looks, before Tabitha stood and followed after Montmorency. Only Kirche stayed back, her face pensive. "Louise… is it okay if I at least stay outside the door? I'll make sure no one interrupts."

Louise smiled. "That's fine. Thanks, Kirche."

Kirche smiled back and started towards the door, but paused just before the threshold. "Hey, Louise?"

"Hm?"

Kirche played with a lock of her hair. "I… don't know if I told you this, but I'm glad we could be friends. I know our families have been bitter with each other for a while, but I'm hoping we can bury the hatchet when this is all over. Also… thanks for finding it in you to forgive me."

Kirche crossed the threshold and closed the door, leaving a stunned Louise to stare after her.

 _She's… thankful? I mean, I'm glad we're friends too, but does she really think we can stop the feud? My parents were always clear on how they felt and Eleanor's the same way. I… never did hear what Cattleya thought, but she's too gentle to harbor a grudge, right?_

Louise shook her head, leaving that line of thought for later. Siesta was the priority here, and Louise would say her piece no matter what.

She just didn't know what that piece would be.

"Siesta, sit up."

Siesta did as ordered, her hands in her lap and face kept away from Louise's sight. Louise felt her cheeks grow pink at the sight of Siesta's bare shoulders, but the raw flesh staining her formerly flawless skin strangled the feeling. "Raise your arms, I need to reach around."

Siesta did so slowly; little mewls of pain escaping her lips alongside hiccups. It was painfully obvious Siesta was trying not to cry, but Louise had to be detached for now. Comfort could come when the wound was wrapped.

Grabbing the first bandage, Louise placed the cloth against the wound as gently as possible. A hiss greeted the action, but Louise kept adding strips until the wound was covered. Then, she took one especially long strip and started winding it around Siesta's torso. Louise started around the stomach, but had to swallow her embarrassment as she got higher. "Are you doing alright so far? I'm going to have to bind your chest if everything's going to stay tight."

Siesta nodded, sniffles meeting Louise's ears. She very much wanted to comfort her friend, but Louise pushed through and continued the wrapping. It was hard, admittedly, to come so close to touching something Louise had fantasized about without reacting. But the situation served to leave her feeling sick whenever her mind would drift to such thoughts.

It was with great relief that Louise finished wrapping the cloth around her friend, only for Siesta's face to fall into her hands. "Siesta, what's wrong? Did I wrap it too tight?" she asked, hands moving closer to the cloth again before pulling away. She was sure she did them right, but she hadn't ever treated someone for such bad burns!

Siesta choked on a sob, before shaking her head. "N-no. I… I'm just so… so relieved! I nearly got myself k-killed, and I didn't listen to you, but here you a-are, still treating me like..." she trailed off.

Siesta didn't need to finish the thought out loud though. Like a friend. Like a person. Like someone to be worried over and care about. Louise finally allowed herself to grab Siesta's hand, rubbing her thumb against the smooth skin as she sighed softly. "Like the others told you, there's nothing we could say that Neb hadn't already. And... I'm not going to try to punish you or leave you over acting too noble."

Siesta hiccuped, though there was a small note of laughter in the sound. "B-but, Sir Neb was right about everything. I acted like a fool, even if I had Derflinger with me. I could have died a thousand times, all because I didn't listen."

Louise smiled softly. "Siesta, I know being a maid for so long has left you expecting scoldings, but Neb was only scared. Founder, all of us were scared! Frankly, the only reason we didn't dogpile you when you came back was because you had naught on but a blanket."

Louise's free hand reached up and turned Siesta around, the bandages serving to protect Siesta's modesty. "You're our friend, Siesta. Sure, we'll scold you from time to time, but you'd do the same if we did something stupid. Even if we didn't all think that way at first, we see you as an equal now, even if we have to keep up appearances around others. Please, don't forget that."

Siesta's face was a mess of tears, sobs still eking their way out. "Lady Louise… thank you. I never could have imagined that I'd end up like this – seeing someone I thought of as nothing but spoiled little noble become my best friend, and the person I respect most in the world."

A teasing smile rose on her lips, somehow making Siesta seem far more alive and lovely than she'd ever been before. "I never thought you'd grow to seem so beautiful... or to be able to look me in the eye."

Louise felt a retort prepare to fire, but she stopped herself. Now that Siesta mentioned it, Louise was able to look the maid in the eye, even when they were standing.

Looking herself over, Louise felt her mouth open. "I… guess I have grown, huh? I always thought I'd stay a pipsqueak."

Siesta smiled and turned back to face the wall, allowing her to lean into Louise's shoulder. "I'm thankful you hired me, milady. My family owes their lives to you, I owe my life to you, and I could never ask for a better friend."

Louise felt a stirring in her gut and a fluttering in her chest as an opportunity presented itself. Considering what could have happened, and the bandages that Louise could feel rubbing against her arm, there might not be other chances.

She had to take the plunge.

"Say, Siesta… have you ever given any thought to, um… romance?"

Louise felt Siesta stiffen against her, the hand she was holding pulling away. "Of course, but… why bring this up now? Shouldn't you go join the others?"

Louise shook her head slowly. "No, Siesta… there's something I need to tell you."

- _Kirche_ -

What was she doing?

Kirche had her ear pressed to the door, Louise's conversation with Siesta easy to hear. She knew it wasn't right to be eavesdropping on what was supposed to be a private conversation, but something in her gut told her this was going to be important.

Kirche's heart had warmed after hearing Louise console Siesta, nearly leaving then and there to let the maid cry in peace.

Then, Louise had mentioned romance.

Kirche swallowed around the hard lump suddenly in her throat, nerves on edge as she waited to hear what she'd say next.

 _What could she possibly have to say? No… it couldn't be. There's no way I lost already, is there?_

She desperately hoped not. It would break her heart, for sure, but she feared what that breakage would do. She feared how she'd react.

Please, Founder, don't let it be that.

- _Louise_ -

Siesta was staring at Louise with utter confusion, though a hint of hope shone its way through. "What is it?"

Louise took a long, deep breath. "Siesta… I find myself dealing with things I've never felt before; feelings that are as foreign to me as caviar is to you."

Siesta took the unintentional insult in stride. "What kind of feelings? I'll help as best I can."

Louise released the breath, her hand finding Siesta's again. "Siesta… I find myself in love."

Siesta's gasp hid the one that came from beyond the door. "You're… in love, milady?"

Louise smiled, pink dusting her cheeks. "I am. They're kind, smart, funny, and a little bullheaded at times, but they try their best. They're beautiful too, and I've had eyes for them for quite some time."

Siesta's eyes widened, her thoughts a mirror to Kirche's own. That could be me!

Louise's grip tightened around Siesta's hand. "I guess I'll just come out and say it, lest we be here all night."

She turned to look Siesta in the eye, long held feelings finally showing themselves.

"I love you, Siesta."

The dam broke.

Louise's eyes widened in surprise as Siesta's arms enveloped her in a crushing hug, the maid's lips pressing against hers in a desperate, passionate kiss that bespoke long held feelings. Louise slowly relaxed into the kiss, savoring the taste of the lips she'd longed for.

Within this moment, class meant nothing. Louise had, for the first time, been given something so, so precious.

Love.

Eventually, the moment came to an end, the two gazing at each other in relief. Neither noticed that their guest outside had gone – it was just them now.

That is, until Louise's logic cooled the passion and made Louise sigh. "Oh, Siesta… I'm sorry I couldn't have told you sooner."

Siesta smiled, the sight as genuine and bright as anything Louise had seen. "It's alright, Louise, it's more than alright. I've… I've been in love with you since we went to the capital, but I always thought there would be no way for you to feel the same way."

She buried her face in Louise's shoulder. "I've never been so happy to be wrong."

Louise patted Siesta's shoulder, melancholy entering her face. "You know, I never got to finish what I was saying. Would you mind repaying my first kiss with your ear?"

Siesta leaned back, but she leaned into Louise's shoulder with a content sigh.

Louise took a deep breath. "As I said, I love you Siesta. But, as you probably guessed, the way I described who I loved was a little vague."

Siesta nodded. "I understand. You wanted to see if I'd be receptive to your feelings."

Louise gulped. "It's… not just that."

Siesta looked to Louise, dread dampening her joy. "What… what else could it mean?"

Louise pushed Siesta away slowly, her hands anchored to the maid's shoulders. "Siesta, I love you, but…"

"I love Kirche."

"I love Tabitha."

"I love you."

Tears spilled down Louise's face, a sick laugh barking from her throat. "How terrible am I, that I feel such love for three? How terrible, how monstrous, am I, that I cannot give my heart to one?"

Tremors shook Louise's arms, her hands falling away with her eyes. "How terrible I am… for saying this to you when I am already betrothed."

Silence was her answer, followed by the creak of a bed, and the closing of a door.

Louise was alone.

As she'd expected.

Well, she thought she was.

"Damn, talk about drama, girly."

Louise turned to see Derflinger leaning against the door where Siesta had placed him after Montmorency had started treating her. Louise hadn't even noticed him.

Derflinger's guard clacked. "Ah, don't get so down. You did just drop one hell of an anvil on her; anyone would need time to think."

Louise sighed and made her way to Derflinger's resting place, plopping down on the floor when she got there. "I don't know… I always believed honesty was best in a relationship, but… she didn't even speak."

Derf laughed. "Well, how's about a story to cheer you up?"

Louise looked up and wiped her eyes. "That… that would be nice."

If Derf could have smiled, he would have. "Alright, so there was this bloke from a place called Hammerhead…"

- _Neb_ -

To say the hydra was confused was putting it far too lightly.

First, he'd escorted Siesta back to the inn in silence, knowing that the others would likely offer the comfort she needed after her ordeal. Neb was still too angry to apologize for snapping at her, but the actions she had taken were beyond foolish. Even if it turned out alright this one time.

After Siesta had entered, he'd planted himself in the front of the inn with the other familiars, discussing what they'd need to do over the following days. No one had come for them in the time Neb had been waiting, which was a bit surprising, so he had found himself simply rewinding the day's events, trying to think of ways it could have been handled better. His musings were only interrupted when he noticed Kirche wander out of the inn. "Kirche, is everything alright?"

Kirche looked to be in her own little world, moving slowly with her eyes unfocused. She didn't respond to his query and continued to wander down the street, apparently not even aware he'd called out to her. Well, Neb would be having none of that, not after the fire they'd just dealt with. "Flame, bring her here," he called instead, nudging the salamander.

Flame croaked, stretching a moment, before waddling after his master without objecting. Clearly, he agreed that something was wrong. Neb sighed as he settled himself back down, ready to wait for whatever mess he was about to have dropped on him this time, before hearing the door open again. He turned his head, momentarily annoyed at his lack of extras, before feeling his mouth part open and hang. Siesta was there, running from the inn with Montmorency and Guiche in hot pursuit.

Neb gaped. She shouldn't be moving so quickly! The wound could start bleeding again, or her spine could get hurt!

He didn't move though. Montmorency and Guiche were yelling the same things at the retreating Siesta already, so he could do little. Instead, he looked to the lone member of their group that had decided to join him. "So, what happened?"

Tabitha shook her head, looking to where he two friends had gone. "…No idea."

Neb sighed, a new scent entering his nose and growing closer. "Too bad, because we have company."

Tabitha blinked before turning to see a group of people walking towards them, the three up front the apparent leaders. When they were close, Tabitha greeted them. "…Hello, do you need something?"

The man up front went first. "My name is Lentil, I'm the head of this town. On behalf of all our villagers, I'd like to extend my deepest thanks for fighting the blaze so bravely when many others turned tail and ran."

He bowed, followed by the other man, who wore purple robes. "Yes, quite. You saved me much work by putting out the blaze before I had to dirty my hands. My name is Donau Desiree de Villanueve; I'm the border officer in charge of the office here."

Tabitha's nose wrinkled at how high his voice was, but the final person, a woman in scale plate, spoke her piece. "I would also like to extend my thanks. The garrison was careless in letting such a blaze start without any effort to stop it early, and that falls upon me as the commanding officer. I beg your forgiveness."

Tabitha stayed silent, letting her thoughts come together. Neb, seeing she wouldn't be speaking any time soon, answered. "We accept your thanks. There was little you could have done with this flame anyway."

Donau stared at him. "So, you can talk. That must make you the youngest Vaillere's familiar. Tell me, why do you possess a single head at this time? When you appeared at the exhibition, you had eight."

Neb groaned. "I see news of my appearance has reached even this far out. Then again, nobility and commoners alike engage in gossip, so I guess it shouldn't be all that surprising."

The woman stiffened. "Wait, your master is a Valliere? Then why are you so far to the south? You could have marched straight through the family's lands."

Neb blinked. "The Valliere's have land on the border of Tristain and Germania? First I've heard of it."

The woman nodded, before pausing with a thoughtful look. "Then again, the Vaillere's neighbors on the Germanian side, the Zerbsts, have been in a blood feud with them for centuries. If your master is a Valliere, it's probably wiser to march through Roer specifically because of that."

"Well, that doesn't mean my master and I will not be having a talk later," Neb replied with a snort, feeling unamused. He had thought he had already imparted the value of having all the relevant information shared before planning things. "Now then, can you tell us about any strange activity in the region?"

"Strange activity?" the woman asked back, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic. "How do you mean?"

Neb rolled his shoulders, before giving a pointed glance towards the burnt fields. "People acting strange, odd lights, fires popping up where they have no right to be, that kind of thing, Miss…"

The woman sighed. "Carol, my name is Carol. The only strange activity has been a series of bandit attacks between here and Roer. Problem is they look to have a powerful fire mage on their side. Considering I caught one such bandit red handed trying to make off with Galton's tax, this fire was likely them."

Lentil's eyes widened. "What, they were trying to rob us? Why didn't you tell me?!"

Carol shook her head. "I've been trying the entire time we've been walking. You simply refused to listen to me."

Lentil's eyes narrowed, but Donau groaned at the exchange. "Can we not play this game of finger pointing right now? We still have guests present," he hissed to the others.

Carol and Lentil held the staring contest a moment longer before breaking it off. Lentil coughed, rightly embarrassed, before offering what he had. "There hasn't been anything unusual in Galton at all. Yes, we've heard tell of the bandits, but none of the attacks were ever close to us. The only thing you would even bother calling odd was how long it's been since the last round by Roer's tax collector."

Tabitha finally spoke. "…How much?"

Carol and Lentil shared a glance, their quarrel put aside for a moment. "We can't give you exact numbers, but it was in the realm of 600 New Gold."

Tabitha's jaw dropped a little, but Neb was confused. "Um, excuse me, do you mind explaining how much that is to me? My master has taught me much, but I'm not versed in economic matters."

Donau coughed. "I'll explain. Halkegenia's currency has six levels to it, with one hundred of one level equaling one of the next. The levels are copper, bronze, silver, gold, new gold, and platinum. Depending on the country, these can be converted into the local currency. Tristain has the ecù, and a single new gold piece is equivalent to about three hundred ecù. For reference, three hundred ecu is enough to pay for a month's stay at the most luxurious hotel in Tristain."

Neb stared at him. "You seem quite well versed in currency."

Carol shook her head. "Galton sees travelers come from many lands, but few of the locals will take anything other than ecù. Donau pulls double duty running a currency exchange because of this."

"I see," Neb snorted in reply. "So, tell me, why does a little village like Galton have such wealth lying within? If it's tax money as you say, then the local lord must be quite harsh."

Lentil coughed. "Ah, it's Lady, actually. Duke Valliere has the lands further north, but Lady Jessamine controls these lands while we're bordered by Germania and Duke Jarvan's lands to our east and south respectively."

Neb rolled his eyes. "Lady then. Right. Anyway, have you counted this tax recently? Lady Carol here said she caught a man trying to make off with part of it."

Carol turned to look down the road. "I had to come straight here after I caught the man in question. I told one of my subordinates to check the halls and return what was stolen, but I haven't heard back yet."

At that point, three things happened.

First, Louise came down to join them, Derflinger clutched to her chest.

Second, Flame returned with his listless master draped over his back.

Third, a young man in patchwork armor ran up to them with not a spot of blood in his face. "Ma'am, it's a disaster!"

Carol rounded on him. "Don't tell me they made off with the tax!"

The poor boy saluted. "Not all of it, ma'am, but at least three quarters of the tax has vanished!"

Lentil joined the shouting. "That's three years of it! We can't scrounge all of that back together now, especially since we won't be able to inspect the fields until morning!"

Neb gestured to the lightening sky. "The blaze was fought for quite some time and this talk has taken even longer. It's best you go and check on your livelihood, Mr. Lentil, and we will wait for Lady Carol to talk to the prisoner before we do anything else. Oh, and Sir Donau, could you start the process on clearing us to cross the border?

Lentil bowed before striding away, barking orders at several townsfolk that had gathered during the talk. Carol saluted before ordering the other soldier to follow her and marching away. Finally, Donau bowed slightly before storming off in the same direction as Carol.

Louise, utterly confused, turned to Neb. "What on earth did I miss?"

Neb looked to her, Tabitha, and Kirche before heaving a groan. "A whole mess of trouble."

- _Siesta_ -

Why did she run?

Why had she left Louise, so obviously distraught and miserable?

Why had she gone against all common sense and risked her health?

These question and more ran through Siesta's head as she was guided back to the inn by Guiche and Montmorency. They'd scolded her with the kind of worry Siesta thought only parents could show before taking an arm each and gently leading her back.

Montmorency was still mumbling about possible damage to Siesta's back and Guiche was trying to tell her to calm down, but Siesta was in her own little world.

I guess… I guess I ran because I was heartbroken. All those fantasies, seemingly coming true right then and there, only for my love to tell me it wasn't just me. I couldn't be near her, even as Louise started tearing herself to pieces again.

Siesta wanted to apologize for how unseemly she'd been, but if Louise decided not to bring this up again, she wouldn't either.

Oh Louise… I don't know anymore. I was so sure of my feelings ever since we left the capital, but I simply cannot confront things as they are.

Her body ached with exhaustion and it was obvious the sun was rising.

I need time… I don't know if I can give my heart to someone who cannot give all their heart to me as well. If I could, would I even be able to speak with Kirche or Tabitha again? Would they be willing? How would our own fickle hearts work amongst each other, when even perceived favoritism could lead us down such a dark road?

The questions were a simple ploy. In reality, Siesta was far more selfish in why she had run and why she would tread carefully around Louise from here on.

She wanted Louise to herself, and only her. Sharing was not on the table, not when Siesta had devoted her life to Louise.

Siesta would not share with a tormentor or a bystander.

Her devotion and feelings would not allow such a travesty, not when Siesta would, even in the face of this revelation, die for Louise.

Not when she would gladly kill for her.

- _?_ -

"You imbeciles!"

A crash resounded through the forest clearing, followed by a flurry of curses. One of the thieves that had snuck into Galton and escaped tried to pick himself off the ground, but a boot clammed him back into the earth.

"You were supposed to grab all of the gold, and you let one of your lackeys get drunk! Now that bitch of a woman's going to learn where we are!"

A gloved hand reached down and grabbed the thief by his hair, yanking his head up before slamming back to the earth.

Repeatedly.

The glove let go when the thief stopped moving, the scrape of metal rising through the air. An axe, the same one that had started the blaze, rose up and fell into the thief's back. The effects were instantaneous, and as fire burst forth, there was hardly even time enough for those present to hear flesh sizzling before nothing but ash remained.

The holder of the axe looked to the group of bandits around them, long brown hair shading their eyes. "Pack up and move out! Our plans are delayed for now."

The bandits split immediately, leaving two others that were tied up and staring at the axe man, for the voice was that of a man, in fear.

The man turned to them, the axe hefted over his shoulder. It was strange to see, this man, as his body was that of a typical barbarian, just in normal clothing and leather. But…

Well, his head was a good deal smaller than the rest of him.

The man sneered at the bound bandits. "Now, what should I do with your sorry hides? You're just as guilty of leaving that drunk behind, but I need someone to inform our benefactor that this whole job may have gone to shit."

One of them started running their mouths. "Please, Boss! I'll do anythin'!"

The boss held his sneer. "Anything, huh? You know I hate brown noses."

The axe fell, the boss uncaring as flame consumed the new corpse within a second. "Alright, you'll do I guess. Go tell the good sir we're bugging out for now, and I expect my payment if he wants his estate in one piece."

The lone survivor nodded frantically, taking off at a dead sprint when his bindings were cut by the boss's dagger.

The boss stared after the bandit, a laugh escaping his throat. "Well, don't matter either way. I get to show the blue bloods what us commoners can do with this damn thing and, once things settle down, I can make all the money I want."

He gazed at the axe on his shoulder. "This whole border's a barrel of oil, just waiting for a light. It'll be easy pickings, while those idiots in their castles try to kill each other."

Ah, it was good to be a mercenary. All he needed now was one last steady job, a good war.

If Albion's rebels weren't going to provide it anytime soon, then he would make one, and what better place to start then here?

After all, stolen Tristainian gold being found in a Germanian barracks was just the spark they needed.

Oh, what fun this was going to be!

 _Ch. End_.

 **Chapter is done, chapter is done, holy moly the chapter is done!**

 **Now then, a last reminder to vote on scenarios, refer to anniversary chapter, as I close and count when the next chapter is posted!**

 **Next up, review responses!**

 **Xanothos: Happy to have you!**

 **Fragment of ring: Hope this points of a more FoZ driven plot like we discussed.**

 **Observor01: What specifically makes you say that?**

 **Chaosrin: Glad you enjoyed! There is something going on with Carol, you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

 **Mangahero18: Welcome aboard! Far as I know, this is the first story to pair Louise with Kirche at all, let alone the other ladies.**

 **Thy Pegasus Box: I succeeded in something, yay! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you all look forward to the next chapter!**

 **Bye!**


	19. Cracks

**Ok, here we go with another chapter!**

 **Louise: How do we plan on fixing this mess we've found ourselves in?**

 **7: You mean how Kirche and Siesta are going to have a difficult time speaking to you?**

 **Louise: *Nods***

 **7: Well then why don't you go spend some time with Tabitha?**

 **Louise: I mean… that's not a bad idea, but…**

 **7: Don't worry, you'll see how things go just like everyone else.**

 **Louise: *Le sigh* Why do I have a bad feeling about this?**

 **7: Because you're currently on my set, where insanity and general disorder reign supreme!**

 ***Clears throat* In any case, I will be tallying votes on the next scenario at the bottom of the chapter. Thank you to everyone who voted!**

 _Cracks_

As the sun rose, Galton mourned.

Acres upon acres of once pristine wheat had been burned to ash, months of hard labor destroyed in a single night. With so much of the harvest destroyed, it would be a long, hard winter for the villagers unless some kind of relief could be given from Roer.

Then, there was the more personal cost.

Louise made it a point to stand in the main road as the villagers sent to search the fields returned, a number of them carrying makeshift stretchers with blankets cast over them.

"Not all who called Galton home lived within its walls." Carol explained from beside Louise. "Many of the farm hands and their families lived amongst the fields so they could easily plant and harvest. Those poor souls must have been the ones living in the wheat fields."

Louise looked to the ground as the last villager passed, a wrapped bundle held in tender arms.

A small, blackened hand stood out against the bright colors of the bundle.

Cool scales rubbed against Louise's arm, Neb's eye appearing before her. "Chin up, Louise. There was nothing you could do for them, the fire had long claimed their lives by the time you began to fight it."

"I know that," Louise sighed. "However, I'm a noble, and it is my duty-my obligation to help the common people."

She pointed to the procession that had long since left them behind. "And in that, I have failed."

Neb could only stare as Louse walked away, Derflinger still cradled to her chest. Neb was unsure what the talkative sword had done for Louise earlier that day, but he was appreciative nonetheless.

He sighed, mind turning to the odd state of their group and what it could mean for the quest. Siesta had pulled a complete one-eighty, going from her normal snarky self to a 'proper' maid. It was maddening to think what could have caused such a swift and drastic change, but Louise would not speak of it.

She only looked at Siesta with melancholy and regret.

Neb had tried more than once in the intervening hours since the maid had run from the inn to pry the answer from his master, but Louise remained silent.

To add onto that, Kirche had grown despondent. Considering both Louise and Tabitha were confused by the change, especially since Kirche refused to speak to either of them, and Siesta had been spotted glaring at Kirche and Tabitha from time to time, it was a big mess.

Oddly, the only bastions of sense in their group by this point were Montmorency and Guiche. The two blondes had, after making sure Siesta didn't move from the room they had at the inn, gone with Mr. Donau to begin the process of getting the party cleared.

Neb had enough time to muse that the newest additions were actually the most productive before he felt something tapping on his leg. "Yes?"

Carol frowned at him, voice still colored with disbelief. "Are you really going to cross over into Germania? What purpose could your party have to do so, especially since they're all students at best?"

Neb narrowed his eyes. "That is neither your business nor your concern. Though I must ask, in your professional opinion, what started this blaze?"

Carol glared at him before shaking her head. "I don't honestly know. My best guess is the bandits that have been attacking travelers between here and Roer the last few months. A patrol in Roer was attacked by them, and the lone survivor spoke of flames that only a triangle-class fire mage could create."

Neb growled. "Why do I have the feeling we'll get blamed for this? One of our own is a fire mage, but the fact she can't conjure such flame likely won't mean anything."

"The villagers aren't trusting of nobles." Carol sighed. "I've been here several times before and they've had nobles skip out on paying them or outright steal possessions by threatening to go to Lady Jessamine."

Neb rolled his eyes. "Petty, but that's not my master. She and her friends are firm believers in noblesse oblige."

He looked down the road Louise had walked, concern in his eyes. "It does appear, however, that something has shaken both my master and some of her friends. I'm not sure if they'll be able to focus on staying safe, let alone taking down those bandits."

Carol stared at Neb in shock, words failing her for a moment. "…You want… to go after the bandits?"

Neb stretched and shook, muscles rippling under his scales. "As I said, they're firm believers in noblesse oblige. Their honor demands they find the ones responsible for this and defeat them, both to give closure to the lost and to live up to their own standards."

Carol stared in open surprise, shocked by the sheer idealism Neb was spouting. She was so shocked; Neb's next words didn't register.

"The question is whether I have to make them duel to get out of their own heads."

-Tabitha-

 _Heaven almighty, what did I do to deserve this?_

Tabitha was currently sitting at the bar of the still empty Gnome's Den, staring at a slumped over Kirche and snoring Montmorency. The blonde had been trudging her way through all the various formalities and paperwork required to get them through the border, but she'd hit the end of her endurance and had to leave.

Now it was Guiche alone who had to work through the process.

Tabitha felt a pang of pity for the boy, but kept her mind on Kirche. Ever since Louise had asked them to leave last night, Kirche had been quiet and moody. To call it unlike her was selling it short, especially since Kirche had never let anything stop her unrelenting need to tease.

Not one taunt had left her lips that day.

Tabitha sighed and closed her book, mind too jumbled to focus. "…What happened?"

Kirche didn't respond, as expected.

Tabitha glared at the redhead, but heard the door open and glanced behind her. "…Siesta."

The maid remained stoic, bowing coldly before walking past the bar and up the stairs. Tabitha watched her go before pinching her nose. "…Infuriating."

Hopping from her seat, Tabitha grabbed her staff and left the inn. If her friends wanted to wallow in some kind of malaise or be cold to each other, then so be it. Tabitha would at least go see how Guiche and Louise were doing if only to be somewhat productive.

Walking through the village, Tabitha noticed the villagers giving her less than kind looks. Many even held outright suspicion, like they believed the fire to be her fault but had no proof. She ignored the looks and kept going, well used to the suspicion.

Considering the nobility had been in power for six millennia and there were few cases of its members actually living up to the title, commoners were right to be suspicious.

In any case, Tabitha found herself before the town barracks and walked inside. The soldiers were still busy putting the town back in order, so she was unmolested as she wandered the halls. After getting turned around once or twice, she finally heard Gulches' distinct voice.

"…my good man! We need only the signatures now, yes?"

Walking to a simple door in a long hallway filled with them, Tabitha opened it slowly. "…Excuse me."

Entering, she found a small mountain of parchment and inkwells. At the desk in the center of the mess, Donau and Guiche looked at her with curiosity.

"Good timing, Tabitha!" Guiche sighed, exhaustion tinging his voice. "Would you mind taking this document and getting everyone to sign it?"

He held out a long piece of parchment filled with legalese and several dotted lines. Tabitha took it before looking to Donau, curiosity clear.

"Oh, it's just the final release form." Donau sniffed. "Once everyone in your party has signed, I and Carol will escort you to Roer and I'll submit all the forms to the main office. Considering you have both a Valliere and a Zerbst in your party, the finalization won't take more than a day."

Tabitha nodded, that made sense. "…Very well. Be back shortly."

She left without waiting for a reply, winding her way out of the barracks and back into the village. Her feet sped with purpose, looking every which way for Louise and even asking the few villagers that didn't glare at her if they'd seen her pink-haired friend.

None had, but Tabitha kept up the search until she ran across someone familiar.

Someone who was currently staring at her coldly, like she'd discovered Tabitha was a traitor.

Tabitha sighed, knowing that she was no traitor though the accusation in her friend's eyes still stung. "…Siesta, have you seen Louise?"

The maid continued to regard her coldly, even as she gripped Raelag's Staff tightly. "No, I haven't. All I know is that I was asked to bring her staff to the center of town."

Siesta's eyes narrowed. "Besides, what makes you care where she is? I was sure you'd be reading that book of yours for another day at least."

Tabitha's eyes widened. "…Have to get signatures. Can't cross border without them."

Siesta scoffed, but held out her hand. "Give it to me, I'll have milady sign it."

Tabitha took a step away from the hand, placing her staff between her and the maid. "…No, need to give the parchment back."

Siesta's cold gaze turned to a glare, but she huffed and continued walking. Tabitha, knowing that Siesta also needed to sign it, but not willing to broach the topic without Louise or Neb present, followed her.

Silence stretched between them and Tabitha kept her gaze glued to the maid.

 _What in Brimir's name is happening? First Kirche stumbles out of the inn like someone had killed Flame in front of her, then Siesta runs out weeping, and now she's acting like I'm responsible for the death of her family._

She pinched her nose again, but her eyes widened when they got to the town center.

"Lady Louise!"

It was like Siesta was a different person! The cold air that surrounded her dissipated instantly, replaced by the warm smile and genial disposition that had long defined her. Tabitha openly gaped at the sudden change, even as Siesta jogged through the square until she stood before Louise.

"I brought your staff, Lady Louise." Siesta said, presenting the staff. "Also, Tabitha wants to speak with you."

Louise looked… relieved. "Thank you, Siesta. I, uh, want to apologize about what happened last night. I know it was a lot to drop on you, but I always believed honesty was the best way to go. I hope we can still be friends."

"Oh, that's quite alright, milady." Siesta answered, keeping up the formalities for appearance's sake. "I just need some time to think on it. I also apologize for just running out on you, it was rude of me."

Louise waved off the apology. "It's fine, Derflinger cheered me up. Now, Tabby, don't you have something for me?"

Tabitha jolted back to reality, her stoic mask adopting a placid smile. "…Just a signature. Everyone has to sign before we can leave."

Louise nodded, taking the staff from Siesta at last before taking the parchment Tabitha offered. Giving it a once over, Louise smiled and looked around the area. "Perfect, but I don't have a quill or ink on me. Would you two mind going back to the Gnome's Den and getting the others to sign first? I want to hear what will be done with the town before I return."

Siesta bowed in answer before striding away. Tabitha accepted the parchment, but paused. Louise, concerned by her hesitance, gripped Tabitha's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Tabitha shook her head. "…Nothing. Where's Neb?"

Louise shrugged. "Last I saw of him was on the main street. If I had to bet though, he probably went back to the inn by now."

Tabitha nodded, feeling a bit better hearing that and seeing that Siesta was out of sight. Bidding Louise farewell, Tabitha set off for the inn once more, mind in the clouds.

 _The change was…significant. I have to tell Neb about this, maybe he can get an answer out of Siesta. If he can't then trying to track down the artifact is going to be difficult._

She cupped her chin, trying to think of a way to get Kirche to talk again after informing Neb, when an arm shot around her neck and steel pressed against her throat.

"I suggest you get out of your own head." Came Siesta's voice. "I believe Sir Neb has told you it's liable to get you killed.

Tabitha didn't respond, body tense. The knife was pressed against her skin just enough that if Tabitha made any sudden moves it would open her throat. "…What do you want?"

Siesta giggled, the sound sinister in Tabitha's ear. "Not here, you're going to follow me into this little alley."

The knife digging a little further forced Tabitha's compliance. Siesta had chosen a perfect ambush spot, not a single witness in sight. If she wanted to kill Tabitha, she could do it and blame it on a bandit that hadn't been able to escape during the blaze.

All it would take were two lives, Tabitha's and the first shmuck to run across her body.

Frankly, Tabitha didn't know whether to be scared or impressed.

Siesta didn't say anything as she dragged the smaller girl into the alley, not once letting up on the knife even as she released her hold on Tabitha's neck. Tabitha, in the meantime, glared up at the taller girl who was leaning over her with cold eyes.

"Now then," Siesta whispered. "Do not speak to me unless Lady Louise is with us. I will not permit her to be alone with you after this day either. The same goes with Kirche."

Tabitha glared, heat entering her gaze for the first time in years. "…You do not get to decide that."

Siesta only grinned. "Look at that… the bystander actually has some emotion. Besides, what makes you care anyway? You knew Louise for almost a year before I came into the picture, but you never showed any interest until Neb came along."

Tabitha had no rebuttal to that. Siesta took her silence as a signal to keep going. "You knew she was being tormented, yet you did nothing. Unlike me, who was a lowly servant that only heard rumors and could feel pity; you had the ability to help her!"

Tabitha ground her teeth. She knew Siesta's accusations were baseless, especially since Tabitha had been forced to lock her trust in a gridiron cage the moment her mother went mad. It didn't make the words sting any less.

"Then there's Zerbst," Siesta spat. "She thinks any amount of work can make up for her transgressions? Louise may have 'forgiven' her, but I certainly haven't! Someone who's done nothing but hurt Louise has no right to be her friend!"

Again, Tabitha had no rebuttal. Siesta was speaking truth, but only part of it. She didn't know how horrified Kirche was about how she'd treated Louise, how many nights she'd come crying to Tabitha about failing to apologize.

Siesta growled, taking offense to Tabitha going stoic again. "You don't actually care do you?! Come on, show some thrice damned emotion!"

A hand whipped around and Tabitha felt her cheek sting, the force drawing a thin line on her neck from the dagger's blade. Tabitha still said nothing, not having the strength or the will to try and counteract Siesta's condemnation.

Her guilt wouldn't allow it.

Siesta, seeing she wouldn't get a reaction, made her final threat. "Do not get any closer to her, if anything, distance yourself. I refuse to let anyone who doesn't understand her try and steal her heart."

Tabitha didn't budge even after the knife was removed and Siesta stormed from the alley. All she could do was stare at her shoes and mumble a reply to the air.

"I know her pain better than anyone ever could… so maybe I don't deserve to feel this way."

Sighing, she shuffled from the alley and retrieved her staff.

Tabitha's original task still stood, but she couldn't tell Neb now.

Only two people had Louise's ear and one of them happened to be threatening both Tabitha and Kirche. She'd be called delusional at best if she tried to bring it up.

It would take either Louise or Neb seeing the threats happening to get to the root of this problem.

Tabitha wasn't sure if she deserved to have it end.

-Kirche-

What would father and mother think of her now?

Kirche sighed at the question, swirling a glass of cheap wine in her hand. The hosts of the inn had returned at last, and Martha had been kind enough to give the despondent girl something to drink.

 _I suppose I should have guessed… Why would anyone actually come to love a tormentor and a member of your family's blood rivals? It's good for Siesta, I guess, but how am I going to break the news to Tabby?_

Kirche felt a pang of pity go out to her diminutive friend. She'd noticed Tabitha slowly grow enamored with Louise, in her own way, and Kirche had been beyond happy to see the stoic girl start to dig her emotions out of the hole they'd hidden in.

Kirche had even silently come to terms with the idea that Louise may choose only one and would gladly support Tabitha had she been chosen.

Of course, neither of them had, so here she was contemplating her own broken heart and the sad task of breaking the heart of her friend. Admittedly, Kirche had entertained the idea of stealing Louise away from Siesta, making the pinkette hers through word and deed, but the idea had made her realize something.

The two of them were essentially playing out the beginning of the feud that had ensnared their families for centuries, albeit with a common maid as the one a Zerbst was trying to steal from.

Kirche knew that she was unlikely to heal from this, at least not fully. If she was honest, Louise was the only one in all her years to have captured her heart so thoroughly, so honestly. There would always and forever be a part of Kirche that would yearn for the dreams she'd had that last night, to hold her love close and never let go.

Unfortunately, this was reality, and they had bigger things to worry about then Kirche grieving over a broken heart.

 _At this point, all I can do is be supportive. I mean… it may not end up working out, but I refuse to be a bitch and try to make it happen just to make me happy. That wouldn't be fair to anyone, least of all me._

The sound of an opening door and a greeting from Dolan made Kirche look away from her glass. "Oh, Siesta. How's the back treating you?"

The glare she received in response nearly made Kirche fall out of her seat. "It heals, Lady Zerbst. If you will excuse me, I must take account of my belongings."

Kirche stared after the maid, mouth hanging open in shock. What the hell had gotten into her?

The door opened again, this time admitting Tabitha. The girl was in a state of thought, but she made her way to Kirche's side out of habit. Almost robotically, she laid a piece of parchment on the bar top. "…Need to sign, last paper for border crossing."

Kirche stared at her friend, wondering at the bland tone. There hadn't been so little inflection in Tabitha's tone for weeks!

Tabitha pushed the parchment towards her, waving down Dolan while she was at it. "…Ink and quill?"

Dolan shrugged. "Got some ink in the back, just hold on and I'll get it for ya."

He slid a glass of wine towards Tabitha, winking at her questioning look. "Thanks for going and fightin' the fire. The other folks here may not be able to appreciate it, but I know you and your friends did good last night."

Tabitha nodded and took the glass. "…My pleasure."

Dolan smiled at her and left to find the ink. While Tabitha sampled the wine, finding it to be just what she expected, Kirche's gaze flipped between the parchment and her friend.

"Uh…Tabby, are you alright?" Kirche asked at last. "I just had Siesta glare at me like I kicked her dog or something and you're acting out of it."

Tabitha shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "…Tired, little sleep."

Kirche frowned, knowing that wasn't the full answer, when another familiar face sat next to them. "Ladies, it appears Guiche has finished things up."

"Oh, hey Monmon," Kirche answered, glancing to the blonde. "I don't remember you getting up."

Montmorency sighed. "I somehow gained consciousness long enough to get to my bed. However, I heard a most heated muttering as Siesta entered and I didn't want to be near her in such a state."

"Aren't you the healer?" Kirche scoffed. "I thought for sure you'd be checking on her every hour."

Montmorency shrugged. "Louise did a splendid job with the bandages, and there was no bleeding when I brought her back to the inn after she ran. I'll give her another look later, but she needs to cool off first."

Kirche blinked, that was news to her. "Siesta ran? What could have possessed her to do that?"

"…Don't know." Tabitha answered, taking a quill and ink from a returned Dolan. "Not important though. Sign please."

Montmorency took the quill and signed; her script small enough to fit her full name on the line. Kirche huffed at the long signature, but signed her full name as well.

Tabitha took the parchment back and almost smiled. Montmorency's signature flowed into each letter while Kirche's looked far less controlled, like fire and water. Curious, she signed her own name and finally noticed the thin way she wrote, barely touching the parchment.

Like a breeze.

 _What do you know_ , Tabitha thought. _I wonder if a signature can show one's temperament or element?_

Deciding to save that for later, she glanced down the page to find Guiche had already signed, his own writing heavy and flowery at the same time.

 _Ok, that more or less confirms it. Now then, just need Louise and…Siesta._

Frowning, Tabitha realized that Louise could not be separated from Siesta until the maid's issues were resolved. She'd already threatened Tabitha physically, and had promised the same for Kirche. There was no way they'd be able to work together effectively unless Louise or Neb was with them.

Her frown morphed into a scowl. Siesta wanted Louise all to herself, for reasons that Tabitha could not deny out of hand, even though she knew they were wrong.

So, Tabitha would let her have Louise. The question would be whether Louise or Neb would forgive the maid for attempting to drive away some of the only friends Louise had.

They may have been able to forgive suicidal recklessness, given enough time.

But personal betrayal was another matter entirely.

-Louise-

Lentil had offered a feast.

Why the man would ever offer such a thing to Louise, especially in the face of the loss of their entire wheat crop, boggled Louise's mind as she wandered back to the Gnome's Den.

She'd been with the man or whoever he left in charge the entire time the villagers took stock of the losses. While she'd witnessed the procession of the dead, Louise wanted to at least know the losses incurred so she could try and make up for them somewhat.

The final tally was still staggering.

Galton was very much a wheat and barley town, with only a few herds of sheep and cattle to the populace's name. While those animals were unharmed, all the wheat they'd planted had been consumed by the fire, which left only the barley fields.

That left them with a total loss approaching six-hundred gold.

Louise had nowhere near that much gold, not even if they counted all the money everyone in her group had. Accounting for necessities, Louise had only been able to logically part with the fifty gold she had in her pocket.

That had earned the feast offer, which Louise politely declined.

Now she was just letting her feet guide her through the town, not sure what she'd do after getting to the inn. She still had to sign the parchment, of course, but they needed to discuss what would happen on their way to Roer.

 _I remember Ms. Carol saying that she'd come with us, but if memory serves, Mr. Donau will have to come too. Considering what little I know of him, he tends to flaunt the wealth he has in those robes of his._

Frowning, she looked to Derflinger. "Say, Derf, do you think we'll be easy to spot on the road?"

"Can't say for sure, little miss." The sword rattled. "If that walking wine spill joins us, then maybe, but that depends on the terrain."

Louise sighed, knowing that from here to Roer was almost completely covered in grassland. "Thanks for the help, Derf. Maybe we can use you as a spit roast, and then you'll be helpful."

The sword cackled at the idea. "Maybe, but I didn't see you put out that fire! Man, I haven't eaten that well in centuries, let me tell ya."

"You just did." Louise jabbed. "Anyway, is it just me, or was Tabby a little quiet?"

Derf hummed. "The bookworm? Ain't she always quiet?"

Louise shook her head, feeling Raelag's Staff jostle in the strap over her back. "No, this was weird even for her. Normally she has a bit of amusement in her expression, like we're all being jesters and don't know it. When she spoke to me though, she kept glancing at Siesta and frowning."

If he could have, Derf would have frowned. "No kiddin'? Can't say why; the maid was acting normal."

Louise nodded. "Yeah, I was really glad that Siesta was being so friendly. I thought for sure she wouldn't want to speak to me for a while."

By that point, they'd reached the inn. Neb was outside, lounging by the looks of it, when he spotted Louise. "Oh, good! Louise, you need to get the parchment signed already. Guiche is inside haranguing the others about it."

Louise sighed. "All this fuss over a document. Alright-alright, let's get this over with."

Jogging up the steps, Louise entered the main room to a strangely tense atmosphere. Montmorency and Guiche were off to one side, each staring at the trio at the bar. Tabitha was seated next to Kirche, a fierce glare sharpening her face, while Siesta glared at both nobles with equal force.

Kirche looked like a deer spotting a hunter, eyes whipping between Siesta and Tabitha. No one seemed to noticed Louise's presence, so she snuck over to Guiche.

"Guiche," Louise whispered, nearly making Guiche jump out of his skin. "Do you have the document?"

Guiche swallowed the squeal that Louise just knew was in his throat before gesturing to Montmorency. "She has it, rescued it when Siesta came down."

Montmorency looked at her fiancé, amused and annoyed in equal measure, before nodding at Louise. "Yes, I feared something might happen when Tabitha and Siesta started glaring at each other. Here, you're the last one that needs to sign besides Siesta."

Louise frowned, looking to her friends at the bar before grabbing the parchment. "Quill and ink, please."

Guiche provided both with his requisite flourish, Louise signing neatly and efficiently. Armed with her meager weapons, Louise adjusted Raelag's Staff and belted Derflinger to her waist before marching up to her friends. "Should I ask?"

Her voice put an end to the staring match, Siesta putting on her usual smile. "Oh, just a little spat milady. Nothing to concern yourself with."

"Is that so…" Louise mumbled. "Tabitha, is what she says true?"

Tabitha's glare had disappeared, though her voice remained guarded when she spoke. "…Yes."

Louise glanced between the girls before sighing and holding out the parchment. "Siesta, please sign this. Mr. Donau is likely having a fit over how long we're taking."

Siesta nodded and took the parchment along with the quill and ink. A moment later, Louise had a fully signed document in hand. "Good. Guiche or Montmorency, would you mind taking this to Mr. Donau? We'll be discussing what to do next while you're gone."

Montmorency grumbled something and took the parchment, marching from the inn without another word. At that point, Louise found a glass of water in her hand courtesy of a smiling Martha before they gathered around a table.

Neb was given permission to join in through the door, though he had blinked when he saw the seating arrangements.

Louise was flanked by Siesta and Guiche, Tabitha sitting next to Guiche while Kirche sat uncomfortably between the maid and her old friend.

 _It appears my suspicions were well founded_ , Neb mused. _I will need to speak with Louise about what occurred last night. It may give me a clue into the source of this._

The humans were ignorant to his musings, instead looking between each other and waiting for someone to start them off. Kirche finally cleared her throat and gestured vaguely to the door. "So, what are we going to do once all the papers are in order? Should we set out immediately, or do we take the rest of the day to rest?"

Louise shook her head. "I think we should move out the moment we can. I don't want those rats to get away from us if I can help it."

"What makes you think we'll run into them?" Guiche queried. "Bandits they may be, but let's not assume they jump on every little group that makes its way to Roer. That's too many routes for anything short of an army to keep an eye on."

Tabitha nodded. "…True. Spy?"

Louise shrugged. "That makes sense. Have someone on the inside to tell you where all the most valuable targets are going."

"That doesn't explain the attack on a patrol," Neb rumbled. "There's nothing to gain from that unless you planned to sell the armor, but the fire would have made everything little more than scrap."

Kirche tapped her chin. "It sounds like a… demonstration I believe? I've heard father speak of such things a number of times over the years."

Louise nodded. "I remember you teach us about things like that, Neb."

"Yes, when you asked why anyone would try and make an army." Neb snorted. "This is different though. We know it's the artifact we're searching for, which means it can be stolen. Question is, why attack a military unit when that gets everyone's attention? Specifically the 'kill them all' kind."

The group descended into thought, not speaking even as Montmorency rejoined them with Carol. Confused by the silence, they looked to Neb.

"Thinking on motives," Neb answered. "Coming after the tax in Galton makes sense, but why attack a patrol?"

Montmorency huffed, taking a seat between Kirche and Siesta. Neb didn't miss the flash of relief that went across Kirche's face, but it only served to stir up more confusion.

"It's seems rather obvious to me," Carol said. "Attacking the patrol puts all the focus on Roer and its immediate surroundings. I was only sent here to Galton because of the back taxes."

Louise blinked, snapping her fingers as an idea hit her. "Then that means we have someone in a position of power. I mean, sure, they could just keep an eye out to learn the patrol patterns, but what schmuck would know Galton has so much money?"

More than you think," Montmorency answered. "I don't know about your lands, but my family has almost a dozen clerks just to keep track of all the taxes and what they're being spent on. That's not even counting the actual taxmen or advisers to my parents."

Carol nodded to the blonde. "She's right. Roer's a large city and the lands Lady Jessamine holds are vast. Every town has a dedicated tax collector alongside the necessary clerks, assistants, guards, and so on. Galton by itself has close to two dozen people who know about the taxes including myself and the Lady."

Louise bowed her head sheepishly. "Um… remind me to catch up on economic matters when we get some down time. I didn't think so much went into it."

Neb snorted. "Let's stop thinking on them for now. Ms. Carol, you said you would be accompanying us to Roer from here on alongside Mr. Donau, correct?"

Carol nodded. "I will be, yes. I need to give my report back to my superiors and Mr. Donau has to deliver your documents personally. We also know the path to Roer better than anyone and can lead you away from potential ambushes."

Siesta spoke up for the first time. "That precludes us from anonymity. Walking in with a border officer and a sergeant will draw attention."

Neb stared at her. "Siesta, I'm coming with you, remember?"

Siesta smiled at him. "I'm well aware. But this will make us into more than just a passing curiosity."

"We'll deal with it," Guiche drawled. "Just being nobles is enough reason for most to stare. So long as we don't draw undue attention, we should be okay."

Louise growled. "It still doesn't sit right with me. The bandits attacked just last night, who's to say they're even in Roer's vicinity anymore?"

Carol shook her head. "All we can do is speculate. If anything, I would recommend we make for Roer shortly."

She held up her hands at the curious looks. "There's a lot more information to be found there than here. If what I've been told is right, you would like to defeat the ones responsible for this before crossing."

"I should have known," Louise sighed. "Neb, what possessed you to tell her such a thing?"

Neb licked his chops. "What can I say? The lot of you have too much pride in your ideals to let this slide and you know it."

No one could refute the claim so Louise changed the subject. "We should leave within the hour then. Ms. Carol, will you and Mr. Donau be able to leave by then?"

Carol scratched her cheek. "We should be. I didn't bring much with me to start with and Mr. Donau doesn't have much either. Will meeting at the south gate be alright?"

Louise got nods all around so she stood and bowed to Carol. "We'll be in your care for this journey. I hope everything will be resolved in short order."

Carol blinked before bowing in turn. "It's my honor to be escorting you. Should all go well, we'll get you into Germania with as little trouble as possible."

She turned on her heel and marched from the inn, Louise looking to her friends in turn. "Alright, everyone go pack up! Montmorency, where the hell is your familiar?"

Montmorency rolled her eyes and opened her cloak, a little frog poking out his head. "Right here, like always. He likes the pocket so much he sleeps in it."

Louise grinned. "There he is! Alright, shoo, go get your things people. Neb wants to talk with me outside."

No one challenged the claim as Neb was already dragging Louise away, the cheerful look on her face never fading.

Dolan and Martha watched this act wordlessly until they were all gone. Then they looked to each other, nodded, and went back to work.

Nobles were nuts, it was just common knowledge.

-Neb-

Once he had dragged Louise from the inn, Neb pulled her around and deposited her on his back. "We're going to lap the village. I need to ask you something."

Louise barely heard him, instead marveling at being on Neb's back. The hydra had scoffed at the idea of anyone riding him, claiming only objects would ever sit on his shoulders. Yet, here he was, letting Louise sit there where he could not see.

The show of trust was humbling.

"What do you need to ask?" Louise said. "It can't be about anything to do with the fire."

Neb shifted as he walked, making Louise squeak as her balance went for a spin. "I wanted to ask why you've been holding so close to Derflinger today. He hasn't left your arms until I dragged you away."

His head snaked around, gold meeting pink. "You were never that fond of him, especially with his propensity to scandalize you. If anything, it's like Raelag's Staff and Derflinger have switched places on your priority list."

Louise's face fell and Neb just knew she didn't want to talk about it. "Neb, that's none of your business. Besides, I've been taking great care of the staff and you know it."

Neb grunted and turned around, stomping through a pile of rotted wood. "I will not press, Louise. Just know that whatever happened last night has caused ripples."

He looked back towards the inn, easily able to imagine the tension as their group packed.

"It'll be up to you whether those ripples fade away or cause a flood."

 _Ch. End_

 **Alright, how about some drama before we go flying into action?**

 **Anyway, poll results!**

 **Nightmare: 2**

 **Journey: 2**

 **Corruption: 2**

 **Sacrifice: 0**

 **We have a three way tie! Not near as many votes when we were doing the smut poll, but I'll try and get this deadlock broken by pointing this out. Kirche and Louise will have their scene on the way to the third artifact, but the circumstances and potential consequences depend heavily on which one they go after previously.**

 **So, I leave this in your hands. Now, review responses!**

 **Mangahero18: Never saw a yuri harem before, so why not?**

 **Codexrun: Here you go!**

 **OBSERVER01: Less unsure and more in the throughs of denial. Siesta's only seen single pairs in both books and life, so the idea of sharing is very upsetting to her. How they resolve it will be… interesting. ;^)**

 **Guest: The harem will have only one more member, Henrietta. She will not arrive for a time, but her joining will be very entertaining, I assure you.**

 **Greatthunder: Have read them both now and I see your points! It is rare though, especially with Louise in the pair. I've seen a lot either leave her single or change her personality completely to more easily conform to whoever they pair her with.**

 **Alright, that's all I got! Let's see if we can get some more votes in to break this tie, and for anyone who has no idea of what I speak, please refer to the anniversary chapter! Enjoy and I'll see you guys next time!**


	20. Wintry Winds

**Well last chapter was liked.**

 **Siesta: Sir 7, why am I becoming the bad guy?**

 **7: I've seen jealousy turn more virtuous souls into monsters. There's a reason envy is considered such a dangerous emotion and one of the famous 7 Deadly Sins.**

 **Siesta: I still don't like it… but very well. May I have my script please?**

 **7: …You didn't get it?**

 **Siesta: No, I was sure I'd get one at the cast meeting earlier today, but that didn't happen.**

 **7: Damn it… Alright hold on.**

 ***Stalks off***

 **Guiche, you better have a good reason for not giving Siesta her script or so help me I will skin you with a spoon!**

 _Wintry Winds_

Louise could feel a chill even standing under the noon sun.

It hadn't been three hours since they'd left Galton, the need for Donau to organize all his papers delaying them until that morning. Everyone had all of their things together, the horses were saddled, and Siesta's burn had faded to little more than a scar after Montmorency had spent a few hours giving it direct healing.

Add on Carol bringing the bandit she'd caught along, tied up on Sylphid's back so he couldn't escape, and you had what should have been a chipper group.

Yet, Louise found herself in the middle of a metaphorical blizzard, winter winds whipping back and forth from three directions. Siesta was all smiles when Louise looked at her, but a feeling of anger suffused the air the moment Louise tried to converse with either Kirche or Tabitha.

Tabitha was no ball of sunshine either. Louise hadn't seen her so cold and curt since before Neb had been summoned, and Tabitha was acting that way to everyone; even Kirche.

Speaking of the red-head, Louise was the most concerned about her. Kirche had been… quiet and demure, two words Louise never thought would ever be used to describe Kirche Augusta von Zerbst. In fact, Kirche hadn't teased anyone since the night of the fire, not even when Guiche had stumbled out of the stable that morning calling for Montmorency's thighs as a pillow.

That was prime material, and Kirche not teasing him for it had left Guiche shaken.

Louise didn't know what she could do about it! Considering she'd never had friends before that year, and rarely if ever dealt with people outside of tutors, calling her socially and romantically stunted was putting it lightly.

Deciding she could at least leave any confrontations for once they had reached Roer, Louise looked to Carol. "So, Ms. Carol, may I ask how you came to be put in charge of Galton? Forgive my saying, but you don't look like one who'd be sent to a village for no reason."

"I'm not that important," Carol said. "I'm simply a sergeant. I've just been patrolling this region long enough that I got chosen to try and convince the locals to form a militia."

Donau huffed from his steed. "The Lady sells herself short. Were it not for circumstances beyond her control, I'm sure she'd have long been plucked away to the capital."

"Circumstances?" Guiche asked, cantering to Carol's side. "Sounds like a story. Would you care to share when the fire shines and lights your eyes?"

The compliment was reflexive and everyone knew it. Carol rolled her eyes rather than make a scene. "I see no point in it. All I care about is that we each Roer safely and find those bandits."

Guiche frowned but pulled back, Montmorency smacking him out of habit when he returned to her side. With that avenue of conversation closed, Louise felt herself grow increasingly tense.

"Well," Neb called from the front of their group. "I think we all need something to take out minds off the journey. Rolling fields of green and just the right amount of clouds may be idyllic, but one can only stare at them for so long."

Louise spurred her horse next to him, silently smirking at the distant screams of the bandit strapped to Sylphid high above. "What do you have in mind?"

"Simple," Neb began. "We've been officially designated as 'Teatro de Burattini' which sounds exactly like a traveling theater troupe. Considering one of us has an affinity for creating elaborate golems and we can easily have the equivalent of twelve voices among us…"

He smiled at her, but Louise frowned right back. "You want us to be actors? Not one of us has any practice in the performing arts, and you know that! It was all marshal training all the time with you; I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to dance!"

Neb's head scowled at her. "Hindsight's no friend Louise, remember that. Had I known that such a convenient idea was sitting on top of us, I would have added those lessons as well."

"Besides," he sniffed. "You should have told me if you wanted to improve something outside of the marshal training. Yes, I was letting my sadistic tendencies get the best of me, but I would have listened at the very least. I never once heard you ask to sing with me after the initial offer was made."

Louise glowered in return. "I never had the chance. We were all so exhausted after you were through with us, any thought of leisure activities went out the window. We're stronger, sure, but it'll be some time before we'd ever become a decent troupe."

"We don't have to use it now," Neb sighed. "I'm simply pointing out that it makes sense. It's an easy revenue source, we're welcome basically anywhere, and it's perfect for gathering information."

Louise held her glower. "Yes, but it takes years to make anything good. The best we could hope for is if Guiche over there could make overly elaborate puppet shows while you did the voices."

Neb hissed, but without heat. "At least discuss it with the others once we camp tonight. Also, can you inform Montmorency and Guiche I'll need them for a short time tonight?"

Louise raised a brow in question, but sighed when Neb didn't elaborate. "Fine, I'll tell them. Don't be surprised if I give your portion of dinner to Sylphid though."

She slowed her steed and avoided Neb trying to lick her. Smirking at his petty pout, which was forever a weird expression on Neb's maw, Louise pulled back to her original spot.

Looking back, she locked eyes with Guiche. "Neb wants to talk to you and Monmon later tonight. Just letting you know."

Guiche bowed his head and Louise looked forward once more, shivering as winter descended once again.

What she wouldn't give to throw blankets over her quarreling friends. Then she'd have some peace while puzzling out what they were quarreling about.

Carol sighed through her nose but chose to keep silent. If the young Valliere was so dense as to not see the triangle she was firmly at the center of, then far be it from her to help.

-Night, Camp-

"So, I assume you've both noticed what's going on?"

Neb had almost dragged the two blondes away from camp, his eyes scanning for eavesdroppers.

"If you mean the state of the other girls," Guiche sighed, "then yes."

Montmorency glowered at the ground. "I don't know why they're acting like that though. Kirche wandered out of the inn dazed, followed by Siesta running off while her burn was still healing. Then we have Tabitha acting like when she first came to the Academy."

Neb nodded, tongue darting in and out. "That's correct. Would either of you have any idea what may have started this, anything at all?"

"The only thing that comes to mind is the night of the fire," Guiche said. "We were all in the room to make sure Siesta was okay and to comfort her after that tongue-lashing you gave her. We were angry, just like you, but you said all there was to say."

Neb's face grew sheepish, but Montmorency picked up the line of thought. "Yeah, now that you mention it, something did happen. Louise wanted to talk to Siesta privately, and I agreed to leave since I knew she could wrap the wound. It was about ten minutes after Guiche, myself, and Tabitha sat at the bar that Kirche stumbled out the door."

Neb frowned, mind playing with the information. "Kirche wasn't with you?"

Montmorency shook her head. "No, but we all assumed she was at the top of the stairs. It was quiet, so we heard the door shut and there were no demands from Louise for Kirche to leave."

"It was only… three minutes later that Siesta ran by." Guiche mumbled, brow furrowed in thought. "We ran after her obviously, so you'd have a better idea of what happened after that."

"Then we're back at square one," Neb hissed. "Louise and what she said to Siesta are essentially the key to this whole mess. Problem is, I don't think any of them are going to spill willingly."

Montmorency sighed. "They like they're privacy, that's for sure. It's not hurting anything just yet, so why don't we leave it until we're settled in Roer?"

Neb snorted, maw twisting in annoyance. "Much as I wish otherwise, that's all we can do. Now then…"

He looked to Guiche, a gleam in his eye. "How many golems can you make again?"

-Kirche-

This was the single most uncomfortable camp she'd ever been part of.

Sure, she'd been part of a camp when traveling long distance with her family, but it was always a little awkward with the guards that came along with them. Since they were commoners, the guards tended to be overly polite even when Kirche was a small and friendly child.

This though was another level of awkward entirely.

Carol and Donau kept to themselves, so the only source of conversation were Louise, Siesta, and Tabitha. She'd have talked to Guiche or Montmorency, even Neb if she was desperate, but they were off discussing something.

Siesta was dismissed immediately, Kirche silently wondering why the maid was so damn mad at her. Louise had confessed to her, not Kirche, and it looked like both Siesta and Louise were still getting along well. Until she had an answer, Kirche saw no way to actually talk to someone who would openly snarl at her the moment Louise wasn't paying attention.

Tabitha was out of the running too, if only because her friend had returned to her old personality. Kirche hadn't gotten more than one-word answers since the previous morning and she'd seen both Siesta and Tabitha glare at each other. Again, the only time there was a semblance of peace was when Louise was around.

Finally, there was Louise herself. Kirche still wasn't ready to broach casual conversation just yet, not after having her heart broken, but the pinkette seemed oblivious to the storm in which she stood. If Kirche had to guess, the only reason she wasn't worried was because Siesta acted normal around her.

What Kirche wouldn't give to be that oblivious.

Sighing, Kirche stood and stretched. Dinner had already been eaten and everyone was off doing something, so Kirche decided that Louise was the least likely to try and take her head off.

Did she want to? No, but the silence was slowly driving her mad.

Louise smiled at Kirche as she walked up, a rag and staff in hand. "Kirche, what can I do for you?"

Kirche put on a strained smile. "Oh, just checking in. You cleaning the staff?"

Louise waved the rag around like it was a flag. "Of course! You know Neb and this thing. 'It must always be spic and span and the jewel must show my reflection' and all that hogwash."

"True," Kirche giggled. "I should probably go polish my things too. If we're going to be fighting, they need to be ready to go."

Louise nodded and returned to her work, Kirche frowning at the stalled talk. _Ok… what can I say that will both keep my mind off of her yet keep her talking?_

She almost snorted. There was only one conversation she could broach at this point and there was plenty of opportunity for it to blow up in her face.

But, they say fortune favored the bold, so why not?

"Louise, can I ask you something?"

Louise paused in her work and looked at Kirche, curiosity clear. "What?"

Kirche twirled a lock of hair. "Well… I wanted to hear about, you know… family."

Louise's eyes narrowed, suspicion entering her voice. "Why would you ask? If you want to know what my family calls yours I'm pretty sure you already know."

Kirche shook her head. "Not that. I want to hear about your family from you. If we're going to bury the hatchet at some point, I have to understand a bit about who else I'll be talking to."

"Well that's the problem, isn't it?" Louise sighed. "Though I can understand the curiosity. Well I'll give you an overview, how's that?"

Kirche smiled and clapped her hands together. "Sounds good to me! Besides, I'll do the same. It's only fair after all."

Louise punched Kirche's arm playfully. "What our parents would do to hear this exchange."

She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'll start with my sisters. Cattleya's the middle child and an animal lover to the highest degree. She has many pets and they love her and defend her day and night. She's also very kind and doesn't have a mean bone in her body."

"She sounds lovely." Kirche mused. "Why haven't I heard much about her?"

Louise sighed, sadness tainting her next words. "Cattleya's very sickly. It seems like she has a fever every other week and rarely leaves the estate. It's a shame too, she's incredibly beautiful and kind to go with it. Anyone would be lucky to have her."

Kirche didn't respond except to lay a comforting hand on Louise's shoulder. Steadied and thankful, Louise moved on. "Next is my oldest sister, Eleanor. She's a very strict and no-nonsense woman, to the point she broke off an engagement because her fiancé wanted to fool around before the wedding.

Louise's voice grew bitter. "She's a researcher and powerful mage at that. When I came of age, she was my first tutor. Then I didn't show any aptitude and she would yell, pinch my cheeks, insult me, and when she was really frustrated she'd hit me. She was my tutor for six months before she gave up."

Kirche cringed, already not liking the older Valliere. "That's… I don't know what to say."

"Nothing," Louise answered. "Honestly, I'm still a bit afraid of her. Just thinking about it makes my face hurt…"

She rubbed her cheek, but started again before Kirche could speak. "My father's name is George, and he's the one that the Valliere name came from. I wouldn't call him the most expressive man, but he's wise and honest from what I've seen. He's also the reason I got addicted to crepes for several months."

Kirche giggled. "Well, he sounds kind of like my dad. Though my dad's very expressive and likes to shout announcements from the top of the manor."

A silly image of a very masculine male dressed like Kirche flashed in front of Louise's eyes, the very thought making her double over in laughter. She could feel every eye turn to her, but Louise waved a hand and felt the eyes turn away. "Sorry, I just…"

Louise's voice fell off as she looked back to Kirche, eyes crinkling in concern. "…Kirche, are you okay?"

Kirche had visibly paled, some beads of sweat dampening her brow and breaths coming in short bursts. It was like she'd stared the reaper in the face and been allowed to live. "…Kirche?"

The red-head gasped, a hand coming up to wipe the sweat away. "Sorry, sorry, thought I saw something in the brush. You were saying?"

"I imagined something humorous," Louise replied, clearly not believing Kirche. "But if you need to relax then I'll stop for tonight."

Kirche waved the concern away. "No, please, keep going. If anything, hearing more would calm my nerves."

Louise looked unsure but nodded. "Alright. Well, all that's left is my mother. You already know who she is I believe, but I can say she's not exactly like her reputation."

Kirche tilted her head, curious to hear about Karin the Heavy Wind. "How so?"

"She's as serious as you expect," Louise conceded. "However, she very much believes in something called the 'Rule of Steel' and instilled it into myself and my sisters. Mother hates rule breakers and if we ever broke a rule she'd pretend to go get her armor from when she was in the military. She'd actually get it if any of us called her bluff and let me say, it's very scary. There were the usual disciplinary measures too, but if I can say one kind thing she did for me, she never gave up."

Her face fell. "Or… I think she hasn't. I mean, they were talking about getting me an engagement and I even met the suitor. Captain of the Griffin Knights, Viscount Wardes himself!"

Kirche forced a smile on her face. "Well… I can't say I'd ever think of you family like that, especially before we started traveling. Thank you for sharing."

She stood and brushed imaginary dust from her pants. "I won't forget my promise to you, but I think we've taken enough time tonight. Talk later?"

Louise smiled and waved before looking back to the staff. The dark gems glinted in the fire's light, but her thoughts were far away.

Kirche sighed and retreated to her steed, the axe and sword she'd chosen resting where they'd been tied to the saddle. Grabbing them alongside a whetstone, oil, and a rag, Kirche strode over to Carol's side and sat down.

The older woman gazed at the Zerbst silently before speaking. "Why over here?"

Kirche shook her head as she unwrapped the axe head. "I needed to get away from Louise and beside someone I could count on to help."

Her red eyes looked back to Louise, Siesta now sitting beside her mistress. "I fear that if I try that again something bad is going to happen."

-Roer, Two Days Later-

Arriving in Roer was a breath of fresh air for Neb and his partners in sanity.

The previous two days and nights had been tense throughout, any attempt at including Louise and one of the other girls in the same conversation going south faster than a flock of geese smelling bread. Neb had even tried to get any one of them to spill what the problem was but had met failure every time.

Entering the city was fairly simple, Carol and Donau made sure of that, but Neb could feel the gazes and hear the whispers his presence and Sylphid drew.

"It's not quite as big as the capital." Louise noted from beside Neb. "It's very nice though."

Siesta giggled from behind Louise. "We appear to be in one of the commerce districts, so that makes sense. I would like to see if they sell large canteens, especially since we're going to Germania."

Carol interrupted any response. "That's where we're heading. My superiors and the main border office are all inside the castle, so we need to go there."

She pointed to a collection of spires in the center of the city. Roer itself was built on a flat plain like Galton, but a river that fed the plains to the east ran right by the city and the positioning of the buildings showed it. From what Louise and her friends could tell, all the commercial buildings were built near the river on the city's east side while the center held residences and administrative buildings.

"I wonder what's in the other parts of the city?" Guiche wondered aloud. "It would be a joy to explore this place."

Donau spoke for the first time since entering the city. "I can help there. The eastern part of the city, where we are, is home to traders and large warehouses. The north and south are a mix of homes, businesses, artisans, and so on. The west is dedicated mostly to military activities, but there are a number of establishments over there as well."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kirche sighed. "Why not put all the soldiers where they're most likely to be needed?"

Neb silently agreed, a map of Halkegenia coming to mind. With Gallia to the south and Germania to the west, it made sense to devote an entire quarter of a border city to protection.

Carol clapped to get everyone's attention. "That's enough chit-chat. Let's get to the castle before anyone decides to sell us something."

The group quieted and continued on their way, Carol turning away anyone that attempted to speak with her. Based on what Louise and the others could see, Carol was very popular with the commoners, as everyone they passed apparently recognized her and called greetings.

In fact, the guards that let them into the castle showed Carol the same respect they showed the nobles following her, even Louise – the daughter of a Duke.

While the young nobles and maid puzzled over that, Carol led them to a large stable that looked able to hold every familiar and steed and still have room for several dragons. "This is the stable. There's several search parties out looking for the bandits that destroyed the first patrol I told you about so there's little issue with letting you use it."

Tabitha hopped down from her horse and held out her hand. "…Reins."

The others dismounted and began to hand the reins over to Tabitha. While this was going on, Carol dismounted and walked over to Sylphid. "Lady Tabitha, may I untie our guest?"

Tabitha nodded. "…Where to?"

Carol grunted and began to untie the bandit. "Take them inside and find some stalls. Your familiars can remain here for now, at least your dragon and Neb can. The salamander and mole can follow you into the castle."

Louise frowned, her grip on Raelag's Staff tightening. "You won't be coming with us to meet the Duchess?"

"No," Carol huffed, an ember of anger in her voice. "You'll be told everything after I report to Lord Viserio, and Donau will inform you when permission has been given.

Her eyes went to the reedy noble. "Right?"

Donau rolled his eyes. "Of course, I will inform them. In fact, they should be able to cross tomorrow with nary an issue."

With that, he was gone, striding for the great doors that led into the keep. With him gone, Louise gathered her friends together and told them to wait for her inside.

Once they were gone as well, she looked to Neb. "No one's here, you can talk."

"Good," Neb groaned, voice hoarse from disuse. "We still haven't resolved those ripples I mentioned. I understand keeping a brave face, but our group will fracture at a crucial juncture should this continue."

Louise glared at him. "If I knew what the problem was, I'd fix it!"

Neb glared right back. "Then tell me what you spoke to Siesta about! I can help you solve this, you just need to let me!"

Louise's glare didn't waver. "You know less about what's going on then I do, don't be such a know-it-all! You may be wise, but you're no genie!"

Neb bit his tongue, silently ruing and admiring how independent Louise had become. "I just want to help, and this affects more than just you. Our mission and the lives of our friends will be in danger if this isn't resolved!"

"I know that!" Louise shouted. "But I can't rely on you for everything. Much as I hate to think on it, there will come a time when you are not there and I need to solve a problem. I either start here before we leave or I break when I'm thrown into the fire!"

Neb and Louise held their staring match for several minutes before Neb backed down. "Fine, but I will allow only two days at the very most. I understand that three days with three extra mouths will keep us here that long just to fill up on supplies."

He turned and started towards a shaded part of the wall. "I'll place our things over there. Let me know if you learn anything, but remember that no matter what the Lady tells you, you won't run off after those bandits half-cocked."

Louise huffed and left Neb be. If he wanted to be difficult like her friends were being then fine!

Thankfully Montmorency was the one waiting for her alongside Siesta. Had it been anyone other than Montmorency or Guiche, Louise would've dealt with the wintry silence the whole way to the meeting.

"We have a meeting with the Lady," Siesta informed. "We were told to bring you to the reception hall when you finished with Sir Neb."

Montmorency huffed, though she wore a smirk. "Your name got us the audience. I knew the Vallieres were influential, but I didn't think it would be to this degree."

"It's because of my mother," Louise said. "When Germania was raiding us back in her youth, my mother did a lot to drive them out. Add on my father's political savvy and my family's more powerful today then they've been since the Zerbst feud started. Got us more than a few enemies to go with the Zerbsts too."

The last statement was muttered, only Siesta picking it up. She kept silent and began to walk down the hall. "This way Lady Louise. Lady Jessamine had yet to arrive when we were told to wait for you, but she should arrive soon."

Louise nodded and followed, Montmorency bringing up the rear. They passed a number of guards, servants, and other nobles as they walked and Louise could hear them whisper about them.

One set, repeated several times as they walked, caught her ear.

"Isn't that the newest Chevailer?"

"I heard she couldn't cast magic, my cousin goes to the Academy and told me as such."

"How did she receive a title then?"

"Isn't her family trying to find her?"

The last one made her gulp. If her family was trying to find her, then Neb's deadline became about a whole lot more than just getting her friends to start singing kumbaya.

The last thing she wanted was a very angry mother riding an equally pissed off manticore screaming out of the sky.

The thought left her mind as she entered the reception hall, its splendor grand but still lesser than the one her own family had. At the back of the room stood a raised dais on which a chair of fine wood and luxurious cushions sat. On that throne sat a woman that Louise could have sworn was wearing armor last she'd seen her.

"Ms. Carol?"

Whispers erupted through the hall, many of the observers apparently shocked. The woman on the throne put on a polite smile, but Louise spotted a flash of annoyance. "No, Lady Valliere, I am not Sergeant Carol. I am Lady Jessamine and I heard you and your entourage wished to speak with me."

Louise bowed immediately. "Forgive me, Your Grace! It was rude of me to call you after a commoner."

Jessamine waved the apology away. "It is no matter, Sergeant Carol and I have had many a laugh over our strange resemblance. Now, if I may ask, what is it that has brought you here? Surely you're supposed to be at the Academy no?"

Louise glanced at her friends before answering. "We were actually on our way to Germania to assist one of our classmates. Headmaster Osmond saw it as a good chance for the top students to get a taste of the world at large."

It wasn't bad for a half-baked cover, but Jessamine pointed out the hole. "Then why is there no Instructor with you? Surely Lord Osmond would not send students into the countryside by their lonesome."

"We were to meet our instructor in Germania," Montmorency interjected, saving Louise from an awkward staring contest. "However we received a message in Galton that he had been injured on the way and been forced to return. Instead, we'll be meeting our classmate's father."

Jessamine regarded Montmorency silently until the younger woman was forced to look away. "I see… I assume the classmate you refer to is the Zerbst accompanying you?"

Kirche stepped forward. "That would be me, milady. I am-"

"Kirche von Zerbst." Jessamine finished, voice cold. "I know who you are. Your entrance into the academy was not well received here, especially with how much grief your fellow countrymen have given us."

Kirche retreated, a mask hiding any response. Jessamine turned back to Louise. "It surprises me that you would be accompanying a Zerbst."

"I quite despise it," Louise answered, internally cringing. "Were it not for Headmaster Osmond deciding this trip would count for a large part of my coursework, I would never associate with her."

She sighed. "To another point, Lady Jessamine. We were in Galton when much of its taxes were stolen and we'd like to offer our aid. We've arrived a few days before we are to meet the elder Zerbst, so we'd like to help catch the bandits if at all possible."

Jessamine chuckled. "That's quite kind of you, Lady Valliere. However, while I appreciate the help, you are aware I cannot let you leave the city walls yes? I would rather not be responsible for your death."

"We can accept that," Louise answered with a bow. "It would ill befit our titles to leave a task unfinished, especially when they put our lives in danger."

Jessamine nodded and gestured to a door on the left of the hall's floor. "Follow that passage to the end and take a right. You'll find Lord Viserio in the third door on your right, he'll get you up to speed."

Louise lowered her bow until she was nearly looking at the floor. "Thank you, Lady Jessamine. We will not forget this kindness."

Jessamine smiled again and waved her dismissal. "I wish you luck, Lady Valliere."

Louise raised her head and nodded, a command to follow her going to the others before she set off. The others wondered at the silence around them as they followed, but heard whispers burst to life the moment they went through the designated door.

Once on the other side, Louise started babbling an apology. "Kirche, I'm so sorry! I didn't think she'd be so against Germanians, or so especially against your family!"

"It's okay," Kirche sighed. "I'm pretty sure my father would disown me if I told him we were friends right now anyways. I'll be fine, just do what you need."

Louise looked unsure, but Siesta tapped her shoulder. "Lady Louise, we need to meet with the Lord. We may insult him by dallying."

Louise frowned but turned and followed, Kirche following at the back of the group with Tabitha.

Tabitha looked to her friend. "…Okay?"

Kirche shook her head, voice a whisper only Tabitha could hear. "No…I'm not. Louise can deny it all she wants and probably even believe her own words, but you heard the conviction when she denounced my presence. It's all too clear, what she really feels."

Kirche wiped away a tear that had built in her eye.

"Louise still hates me."

-Neb-

"Sylphid, please put the poor man down. He is here to help us, not act as a chew toy."

The young dragon cooed in disappointment but placed the man on the ground. Said man was shaken by being handled in a dragon's paw, but was still able to place a selection of hams on the ground.

"Thank you," Neb said. "And please keep my ability to speak a secret for now. My master has yet to decide if I can speak freely."

The man bowed stiffly and strode away, Sylphid happily digging into the hams. Once he was gone and Neb was sure no one else was there, he spoke again. "Irukukwu, you must control yourself. Normal humans are much more fragile than the logs you've been using."

Irukukwu whined at him. "But big brother, he had such good food! I wanted to eat!"

"I don't care for you hunger tantrums." Neb drawled. "It's your fault we ran out of meat after two nights on the road. You need to learn what an appropriate amount of food is, especially when you do little aside from carry things."

The blue dragon gave him her best pout. "But I can't talk to anyone except you! Big sis won't let me."

Neb sighed and his head nuzzled Irukukwu's cheek. "I know that, but you must understand. Unlike the Academy we will not have an infinite amount of food on us. If any vermin get into our things then we may lose much of it when we're several days from a town. If that happens, we can't eat as we wish."

"I know," The fledgling sighed. "I just want to be part of the group! Even Verdi seems to get included more, and I... get a bit lonely." She drooped slightly, wings rustling as she tried not to make a scene.

Neb shook his head, before straightening back up. "You know it's not intentional – they're dealing with... whatever it is that's going on between them. You're not the only one who's been feeling it, either." He hesitantly pressed against her side, trying to comfort her a bit. "Anyway, if you'd like to help, why not head into the forest and start hunting? Siesta and Guiche can butcher it while Kirche can turn it into jerky with Flame."

Irukukwu perked up at having something to help with, mind wandering to how she might get to be praised... and get to eat as much as she wanted. She happily turned away with a salute, spreading her wings into the air in preparation for take off.

"Before you go," Neb interrupted, making the fledgling stumble to keep her paws on the ground. "Don't hunt anything that's behind a fence. The last thing we need is having to fend off angry farmers."

Iru just whined, glancing back with a hurt look. Of course she knew that! Well... she would have assumed at least. Probably. Though some of the live stock looked nice and filling, and awfully tasty... "Okay… can I go now?"

Neb nodded and the dragon took to the air gratefully, finally flying off on the hunt. Neb watched her go with amusement shining in his eyes, before a squeak from his side drew his gaze to meet Verdandi. "She is odd isn't she? So, how did the expedition go?"

Verdandi disappeared into his hole before popping out again with a small pile of glittering gems. The largest one was held in his paw and Verdandi appeared reluctant to let it go.

"That's a good haul," Neb grunted. "Should make up for Louise's generosity. Take the gems to Guiche please, I fear I won't be leaving any time soon."

Verdandi gathered the gems together, waved, and disappeared into the ground again. Neb sighed and settled in to wait, the sound of flapping wings turning his gaze skyward. His eyes narrowed. "Griffon… no, it hasn't noticed me. Looks like it's heading for somewhere else, so it's none of my business."

Neb sighed and settled in to wait. He had a feeling this would take some time.

-Roer, Warehouse-

Moving into the city they were robbing from was a hilarious idea.

The patrols were out there looking for the big bad bandits that would dare attack the city, but those same bandits sat under their noses at that very moment.

The boss of the bandits snorted as he finished counting the gold in front of him. "Everything's here. Didn't think the threat would work."

Standing, he strode through a door and looked out over his band of thugs. "Alright boys, listen up! Payment came through, so we'll be celebrating these next few days! After that, we got word from our benefactor that there'll be a tax convoy over in Germania next week. Only two days walk and we get even more!"

The thugs cheered and began to excitedly discuss what they were going to do. Most were going to drink or find a brothel, but not the boss. He had a job here in town first.

"Jens, Lars! Come here scum!"

Two men of middling looks came up to him. "What ya need Boss?"

The boss jerked his thumb at the warehouse door. "I got a job for you two. Word from on high says a group of important students came today, very rich students at that."

One of the men grinned. "Want us to catch them?"

The boss snorted. "You can't take on all of them and you know it, not without my axe. No, what I want you to do is talk to one of them, the maid in particular."

He smirked, visage twisting in glee. "The maid ain't on the best of terms with a few of them from what I heard. See if you can't… convince her, eh?"

The other man chuckled. "Discreet right? Don't want the friends being brave."

He shrugged. "There a specific one you want?"

"There's a Zerbst in the group." The boss laughed. "Along with a little one with a blue head. Capture the Zerbst and the blue. We'll ransom the Zerbst and kill the dragon the little blue one summoned."

The two men nodded and set off, leaving the boss to cackle.

"Envy, how easy to work with. This may be a bigger payday then even the war!"

Meanwhile, in the office of Lord Veserio, Siesta grinned internally. Tabitha and Kirche were getting more and more excluded from Louise of their own accord and Louise came to Siesta ever more often.

It would only take a little more time to make Louise hers and hers alone.

Just a little more time.

Ch. End

 **Well, that's a chapter.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys and looks forward to the next chapter as well. It should be a fun time no?**

 **Also, review responses!**

 **approximationOfhumanity: Will you be able to say the same soon?**

 **Sazq: Glad you enjoyed it! I'll put your vote under Corruption then.**

 **OBSERVOR01: We'll see events from more than her POV, but she is fun to write.**

 **DschingisKhan: Well I'm not that fast, I just know how I want a chapter to end before writing it. The tension you mentioned will be coming to a boil before long, you don't put this many horny humans in one place and not have something explode. Besides, this tension has existed since the early chapters, it's just now becoming visible.**

 **Sylphid had some fun here too and I'll place your vote under Nightmare.**

 **Now, I'll add those votes to the poll…**

 **Nightmare: 3**

 **Corruption: 3**

 **Journey: 2**

 **Sacrifice: 0**

 **We now have a two way tie! As such, I will be leaving this decision to RandomNPC247 (sorry xanothos, seniority rules) as thanks for helping with the story since last August!**

 **Again, hope everyone enjoys and looks forward to the next chapter!**


	21. Reality Check

**Alright, I will for sure get this chapter out in a more timely manner!**

 **Louise: I'd like to see that happen. It's getting awkward talking to everyone with all the tension.**

 **Neb: And aggravating that it hasn't been dealt with.**

 **7: You two keep your opinions to yourself, you're not co-writers!**

 **Louise: That's why we live in the dorms with the other casts. I don't care how nice they are, you and the editors get a house each!**

 **7: We're arguing about housing that doesn't exist, are you that upset about how things are going?**

 **Louise: Not angry just… frustrated at waiting.**

 **7: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have school! If I could, I'd write until I ran out of ideas, but that's not how things work and there are other things I like to do.**

 **Neb: You're preaching to the choir, literally in my case. Just get on to the story and I won't give you the details about what happened this morning.**

 **7: Yeah, I really don't want to know how you guys managed to spread singing skulls all over the place without someone noticing.**

 **Anyway, to the story!**

 _Reality Check_

It was only a moment after they started down the hallway to find the Count that Guiche slowed, tilting his head up as though listening to something. The others slowed, waiting for him, before he turned his attention back to them. "It would appear that my marvelous Verdandi has just returned, and that I am required outside." He glanced between the party, an apologetic look on his face. "Would you all mind if I took care of him now? I know we still have another to meet, but..."

Montmorency sighed, stepping over to join him. "But now that we're meeting a nobleman, rather than noblewoman, you would rather coo over your familiar than socialize?" She accused, getting a nervous laugh from Guiche.

"Non, non, my dear," he quickly protested. "Only, Verdandi has been working hard, and if I do not reward that quickly, what sort of Master am I? And, it is not as though all of us are needed to listen to what information the good count might have. Truthfully, only one or two of us would even need to go, with Louise as one for having gained our audiences through her family's name."

Louise arched an eyebrow, before shrugging. "That's true enough. I would like at least one or two extra sets of ears to see if they can catch anything I might miss, and it might insult him for only one of us to come meet him, but we hardly need the entire group. Ta-"

Siesta quickly tapped Louise's shoulder once more. "I should be present, even if simply in the background," she quickly interjected, before leaning in to whisper. "We don't know for sure that we are safe, and an attacker is more likely to discount me than a mage."

Louise nodded. "Alright, so the two of us-" and was promptly interrupted once more, this time by Kirche.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to leave you to deal with whatever stuffy nobleman the count might be alone," she proclaimed, smiling as she started forward, ahead of the group. "Tabitha, why don't the four of us leave Monmon and Guiche alone. To take care of his familiar, of course."

Montmorency jerked in place, her face flushing lightly as she glared back at the retreating redhead, before turning and grabbing Guiche's sleeve. "W-well then, let's go. I'll help out, if only to look the gems over. I doubt that you'd be able to bring yourself to look away from Verdi for long enough to even do a basic appraisal of them."

As the two of them started off, Louise looked back to share a small look of amusement with the rest of her friends, only to see that Kirche and Siesta were glaring daggers at one another, and only Tabitha seemed to be looking back to catch it. Still, the other girl nodded, quirking her lips up faintly for a moment, before Louise moved back to catch up and take the lead. Hopefully, she thought, the tension would break with something to distract them.

She opened the door to the Count's room, stepping in, before stopping, stunned. The room was... ostentatious, to be frank. Louise had spent a good bit of her childhood in and out of the palace thanks to her friendship with Princess Henrietta, so she was usually rather inured to such displays of wealth. Many nobles enjoyed having nice things around them, and tended to put their most impressive shows of wealth where others would inevitably see them.

Yet, there was still a difference between the more tasteful displays that her father favored, and the gaudy absurdity which she was assaulted with on entering their meeting room. The man had a throne all his own, with rubies set into gold-leaf arms – or what Louise honestly hoped was merely gold leaf – in front of a table with modest wooden chairs for supplicants. The table itself was likewise plated in gold and framed with silver, and the ornately decorated edge was studded with pearls and opals.

Yet despite how tasteless the effect ended up, all of that somehow paled in comparison to the fact that he had a portrait of himself, younger and in dress uniform adorned with jewelry, painted as a mural on the ceiling to look down at them. The artist had clearly been skilled, too, as the painting created an effect of the ceiling stretching higher, and the man towering above the room and looking down into it from above, like some richly dressed giant.

All of this in the same building as a Duchess who had favored a simple, if large and well made, padded wooden chair. It boggled the mind that anyone would think to attempt to show off so much in a room given to them within the home of a higher ranked noble.

She looked back to meet Tabitha's eyes, before slowly glancing to meet Kirche's. Though Tabitha's expression was more hidden, Louise knew her well enough to read the tightening around her eyes and the twitching of her lips. Kirche didn't bother with hiding her look of displeasure. They all shared a look that spoke volumes about how little they were suddenly looking forward to speaking to the man. Siesta, of course, kept a polite smile and a look of demure professionalism drilled into her from her time as a maid at the academy, stepping smoothly to the side of the door on the inside to watch.

Louise turned back to look for the Count, finally noticing him in his throne. It should have been the first place that the eyes were drawn to, yet somehow, he was nearly invisible against the rest of his room. Perhaps it was the fact that his stately robes had enough red and gold in them to look like part of his throne, or perhaps it was simply that Viserio just didn't command the sort of presence that his portrait held. Either the artist had taken some creative liberties, or age had simply divested him of much of his aura of command and strength.

He was clearly advancing in age, though not so old as to look frail, with his eyes sunken and his face lined by stress until it was set in a permanent scowl. His lips strained on his face, presenting a razor-thin mouth that looked constantly like the lord was sucking on a lemon, or considering something distasteful in front of him. His eyes were a dull looking gray, much as his eyebrows above them, leaving no doubt that his elegantly styled golden-blonde hair was dyed or a wig.

He was silent as the three of them walked up to the table, waiting until they had seated themselves in the shorter chairs below him before he finally acknowledged their presence.

"...And?" he rasped, showing a glint of gold teeth among yellow. "What are you here to waste my time with?" His eyes jerked in their sockets, zeroing in on Kirche to Louise's left, before dismissing her with an even more pronounced scowl. He turned back to Louise, and the dull gray was suddenly far more alive, glinting with a sort of hate that nearly made her flinch.

Still, there were courtly manners that she could rely on to allow her to ignore everything, at least until she was out of the Count's hearing range. She dipped her head, before looking back up at Viserio with a calm expression.

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us, Lord Viserio. My friends and I were passing through Galton when it was attacked, and did not wish to leave without doing all we could to repay the arsonists for the trouble they caused us." She opened her mouth to continue, only to be interrupted mid-breath.

"Then go. Get on with it." The count lifted a hand to flick at the air in a shooing motion. "You're not so incompetent that you can't even catch a few brigands, are you? And I do hope you're not expecting a reward for it."

Louise's mouth hung a half-inch open at the sheer gall of the man. Who did this puffed-up nobody think he was!? She was a Valliere, for Brimir's sake!

Before she had even properly recovered her wits, Kirche was slamming her arm on the table, shouting. "What is wrong with you? The Duchess sent us to you for our answers, has already approved of our presence here, and you're acting like we just killed your familiar or something! For trying to help with your problems!"

The man's hateful gaze snapped to Kirche again, and Viserio's lips pulled up in a snarl. "Oh? My problem, is it, Von Zerbst? Yes, that's right, I recognize your blood, just as I am sure Jessamine did – and it is only through her mercy that I have not ordered you and all of your little friends arrested for daring to come into my lands! I've heard the reports already: Bandits with a fire mage in their ranks, showing up and harrying us while fleeing into the Germanian borders to escape. And then who should come to offer to 'help' than the spawn of the devil himself."

He opened his mouth, making an absolutely disgusting wet hacking sound, before spitting a glob of filth directly at Kirche. She flinched back and away, face crinkling in revulsion and shock at the man's sheer venom, allowing the spit to fly past her and splatter onto the floor.

"I know how this goes," he continued in the stunned silence. "You come, you kill my men, you make me look a fool for not being able to catch these brigands... and then you swoop in to deal with all my troubles, taking the glory and the money your own minions have robbed from me. Maybe even forcing the Duchess to reward you for it as I am brought to task for my failures. Give me one reason I shouldn't send your father a demand for your ransom if he wants you back with all your limbs in one piece, you Germanian piece of filth!"

Things were suddenly escalating far faster than either Louise or Tabitha had been prepared for. The blue-haired girl's mask of calm was starting to slip, her hand clenching at her staff with the desire to come to her friend's defense, while Louise desperately tried to rally herself to react to the situation. She knew that, while some might be cowed by such threats, or try to deescalate, Kirche... wouldn't.

A glance to her side was enough to see that her fears were quite well founded, and that Kirche was seconds away from hurling vitriol and hate back with equal intensity. She couldn't let that happen.

"Stop!" Louise cut in, the force of command in her voice momentarily causing both Viserio and Kirche to freeze. "Lord Viserio, I am Louise François de la Valliere. I have been with Kirche the entire trip thus far from the Academy, and we have only just reached these lands. Unless you are implying that I am complicit in these attacks, and that the Valliere have allied themselves with the Zebst against the crown? Do keep your threats to yourself."

Her glare could have melted steel as she stared him down, and though the Count looked to be fuming, he at least realized that making such a claim so openly could very well ruin him when her mother heard of it. He would make an enemy of one of the most powerful noble families in the country if he pushed further against Kirche now that Louise had attached her family's name to their journey. Though, she didn't look forward to explaining why she was with Kirche in the first place to her mother when it came time.

Still, despite that, it didn't seem Viserio was going to let things drop completely. "Very well, she may not be the mage leading the bandits, I will give you that. I think my men would have commented on it if they were led by a fire mage of such... impropriety." None of them relaxed with that insulting concession, knowing more was coming. "However, the timing of her journey, to the very place that they chose to attack? That is still quite suspect. Even if she is not the one killing my men, it could be a brother, a cousin, an uncle, or even her father. I doubt that you know every correspondence that she gets – she is using you as a shield for their plot, and I will not allow her to interfere, risking the escape of whatever foul cretin it is who she's working with."

Even if he couldn't attack Kirche, he was still more than capable of shutting down their chances of getting information, and making it even harder for them to go off on their own to retrieve the axe. Louise grimaced internally, refusing to let her frustration show on her face. She could hardly tell him that she was reading all of Kirche's letters or something – there was no way he'd believe it, and it would cast herself in an ill light for no gain.

But should she tell him that she trusted Kirche implicitly, especially after already telling the Duchess that she was only abiding by her presence for the sake of her grade... that would end up just as badly, if not worse. There would be questions, and possible detainment while a letter was sent to her parents.

No, as long as the Count was thinking that Kirche was probably working with the bandits, there wouldn't be any way to work with him. All that was left was to use... at least a portion of the truth.

"Lord Viserio, this is not a Germanian raiding party. The reason that they have proved so dangerous isn't that they have a fire mage – it's that they have come into possession of a powerful relic of fire. That is why we were traveling here in the first place. You know of how Fouquet struck at the Academy some time back..."

She let herself trail off, allowing him to draw his own conclusions from the two facts she had given. She hoped that would be enough. The Count slumped back into his throne with a more thoughtful look and Kirche fell back into her chair as well, still fuming and clutching her wand. At least she looked less like she was about to fireball the other side of the table.

Louise breathed a sigh of relief along with Tabitha, sharing a quick look with the quieter girl. Tabitha nodded, before standing from her chair to give a bow to their host. "Apologies. The exact nature... of our mission... should not be spread. We do not need any reward. Only help to find. We will retrieve the item... and stop the attacks. The stolen gold... shall be returned. No need for glory, either."

The Count's look of rage cooled further, replaced by a considering look between Louise and Tabitha. "...I see. I'll admit, that would change things some." The concession looked to be physically painful for him to make, but he made it all the same. "...If you're being honest, that is."

Frankly, Louise could have kissed Tabitha for helping her defuse things. That could wait for later though – she still had to finish getting what they needed form the Count.

"We are," she assured, hand over her heart. "I swear it: we want only to help, and to complete our mission. All we need from you is any information you have on these bandits, for where they might be and numbers we can expect to face. Perhaps we could track them on our own, but I am not so prideful that I would discount the value of those who have already been fighting them. Nor am I too proud to ask for help when time is as essential as it is. The weapon that they have stolen is dangerous, and the longer it takes to stop them, the more we put innocent people at risk." She looked to the Count, gaze imploring as she met his sunken eyes and tried to make him see how earnest she was. "So please, will you aid us?"

Viserio stared at her, evaluating her for a long, painful minute, before he rolled his eyes, looking away. "I suppose. As long as it gets that Zerbst out of my lands faster, I'll give you what information I have."

A palpable sense of relief spread through the three girls at the statement. That... could have gone much, much worse. It very nearly had, at that, but somehow, it looked like it was going to work out.

"I haven't had any further reports about them since Galton's blaze," the Count informed them, looking as though he was trying not to sneer at Kirche again. "But my men have determined that there are somewhere around thirty of the bastards. Perhaps less, given how often lowlifes turn on each other and kill themselves off. We found their hastily abandoned camp, with tracks moving to the east towards Germania. We already have forces mobilized and ready to hunt for the bandits, too, so you can try to join with some of them if you want, or just have one show you the abandoned camp on a map. I'll instruct my men to cooperate, or to look the other way if they can."

The man's eyes twitched slightly as he leaned back in his throne again, before he pointed to his door. "Now, if that's everything, get out. I have important work to do, and I can't do that in front of the lot of you. Leave me."

Though still phrased quite rudely, all of them were more than happy to obey that particular order of the Count. Soon, all four of them were walking away as the doors shut behind them, Kirche looking as though she was gasping for fresh air the moment they were away.

"Well, that man was unpleasant," she commented, looking over to Louise. "I almost wish you hadn't stopped us. If he had attacked first, and I was merely defending myself..."

"You'd have possibly started a war, or left us having to fight our way out through several soldiers, guards, and other mages, none of them responsible for their Lord," Louise retorted. She softened the rebuke with a small smirk. "Not that I wasn't still tempted. Now, shall we find the others?" she asked.

She looked back to Siesta, risking a small smile to the maid. She just caught Siesta finishing with re-securing the knives that she had been silently readying for in case it had come to a fight. Though, she was a bit too slow to catch Siesta's smirk at Kirche being chastised. As they continued forward, Siesta even started to close back in to walking with them, more than behind them.

Tabitha shifted to the side fairly quickly, making room for Siesta, and moved over to Kirche to give her a silent pat on the arm. "Wouldn't need to kill. And his attack, would reflect poorly on him. Might have gotten someone... more agreeable."

"Well," Siesta chimed in, now that they were far enough from the door, "There's also always claiming that the bandits managed to get an assassin in. Though with their belief that this might be related to Miss Zebst's family, such a thing happening could be... unfortunate." Her voice lilted softly at the end, holding a smile all the while.

"Either way," Louise quickly cut back in, not liking the odd feeling of the conversation, "it's a good thing that nothing happened. And hopefully, since I implied the axe was from the Academy, even if he's interested in it, he would simply send it to the Academy in hopes of a favor from Headmaster Osmond."

She turned her attention back in front of her, and the rest of the trip back was made in relative silence as they reached more traveled halls. But Louise was keenly aware that the pressure on their group that Neb had warned her about was still there, still smoldering, and that she still had no idea how to take care of it.

– – –

With the meeting done, the group reconvened in the courtyard to begin doling out tasks. They still needed to see if they could get a decent amount for the gems that Verdandi had collected, for one thing. Montmorency had already had some time to determine how valuable they should be, but that didn't mean anything if they couldn't find someone willing to pay that much for them, and willing to pay in the right time frame to be useful. A brief discussion had Neb suggesting that Louise and himself go with Montmorency and Guiche for it.

Tabitha, of course, would have to wait for Sylphid to return from her hunting, where she could clean and dress any game that the dragon brought back with her. That left Siesta and Kirche to do the shopping. Given how they had been acting around each other lately, there was no way that Louise or Neb were sending the two together without supervision.

Kirche, after being given a carefully counted amount of gold and a list, was sent to refill their provisions. Siesta started to protest the choice, citing Kirche's well known propensity to buy unnecessary items, but Louise quieted her with her own list of supplies and bag of coins.

The group took their tasks and split, wanting to get things ready as quickly as they could so that they could begin planning and other preparations. Siesta had taken a moment's pause to watch Louise leave, clearly tempted to follow... before she headed off for the task she had been trusted with. It wasn't as though Louise would be undefended, and she also wasn't with anyone who the maid would consider... an unsafe choice to leave her with. Neb had chosen rather well on that.

Around a half hour later, Siesta was walking down one of Roer's many streets, looking at her list. "Two lengths of rope, a cast-iron skillet, extra-large canteens for everyone, a hairbrush for Louse, and…scale polish?"

She huffed at the last item. It was rather obvious who had pushed for that to be added as a 'necessary item' for her to pick up; if Neb was vain about anything, it was his scales. Especially the ones on his belly. Shaking her head with a smile, she continued down the street until she found a general store. "Here we are."

The door opened with a pleasant jingle, and Siesta found herself in a quaint room full of all the essentials. "Wow, it's nice in here," she whispered under her breath, glancing around.

There were a few people inside and Siesta had made sure she wasn't in her maid uniform, so she settled for blending in. It was easy to find the rope, skillet, and hairbrush but it looked like she'd have to find her other items elsewhere. There just didn't seem to be much demand for scale polish in the common populous.

"Still, to think she'd trust someone other than the cook with picking up food." Siesta mumbled after paying. "Kirche wouldn't know restraint if it slapped her ass."

Siesta quickly covered her mouth, glancing around to see if anyone heard her. She heaved a relieved sigh when no one so much as glanced at her. "I really must be more careful. I don't want to go and make a mess of things before my Lady picks me."

Siesta knew that threatening Tabitha had been a foolish idea, but it had the unintended effect of distancing Tabitha from Louise. Add on the unconscious conviction Louise had used to denounce Kirche earlier that day and Siesta knew it was only a matter of time before Louise gave up on them.

Then it would be down to her, ready and waiting to take Louise into her arms. A wicked giggle tried to push past her lips, but Siesta suppressed it. Not yet, she told herself; she could celebrate in private.

"Siesta?" a hateful voice called. "I thought you'd have found everything by now. What's up?"

Siesta snapped out of her reverie, her cheerful mood gone like so much smoke in the wind, and just barely held back a snarl when she turned to see Kirche. She slapped on a clearly fake smile for her, and gave a nod of deference so small as to be insulting. "I am simply going to find another store, Lady Zerbst. What of it?"

Kirche sighed at the cold tone. "I was just curious, sheesh. Besides, I needed to ask you a question."

Siesta remained cool, even as anger bubbled in her breast. _You have no right to ask me anything you cruel cow. I don't care if Louise lusts for your form, you will not have her so long as I breathe_.

Kirche cringed back at the heat in Siesta's eyes. "So, uh… I was just going to ask if Louise had any preferences for something special. The grocer was having a sale, her birthday's soon…and…"

Siesta felt her anger rising and spilling onto her face, Kirche's face growing pale as Siesta began to snarl.

"…You know what? Never mind. I think I'll just get whatever looks like the best deal."

Kirche turned and walked away as quickly as she could. Siesta held her glare until Kirche was long out of sight before scoffing. "She doesn't care. She's using her body to seduce Lady Louise just to hurt her. I know that's her plan, and I won't let her manage it." It was Her fault that Louise was hurting even now, after all – hating herself and unable to be faithful to the true feelings of her heart. Just the thought of it was still enough that Siesta had trouble holding anything resembling her professional mien when talking to Kirche.

It never crossed her mind that Kirche was truly regretful or in love with Louise. All she knew was that Kirche was Louise's most unrelenting bully and tormentor in the past, and that meant any attempt to be nice was part of an elaborate plot to destroy the already emotionally wounded girl.

Siesta pushed her anger to the back of her mind and returned to her search. She couldn't ignore the canteens, since Louise and Neb wouldn't allow it no matter the reasoning, but she could drag Louise away from the others while they were in town.

She just needed to distract them for a bit, and then Siesta could work her own sort of magic on her dear, sweet, innocent Louise…

A dreamy grin crossed her face as she began to fantasize, ignorant to the pair of men watching her. "That the one?"

The other nodded. "Yeah, no way she's a noble. I know her friend's the Zerbst, especially with hair like that, so we've found the mark."

"Good," his friend smirked. "And they ain't chums either. You want this or should I work my charm?"

The man gestured his friend forward. "Have at her, Lars. You've always been better with these angry broads than I."

His friend's smirk straightened into an easy smile, losing its feral edge. Fixing his posture and adjusting his clothes, Lars approached Siesta looking quite a bit more approachable than he had mere moments before. "Excuse me, ma'am. You look like someone that needs to take a load off."

Siesta glanced to him, taking in his average clothes and sandy blonde hair at a glance. "What are you trying to sell me?"

Lars held up his hands in surrender. "Nothin', just thought you looked peeved. There's a nice bar down the street if you fancy a drink, and the baker two doors down is to die for. Great place to go if you like sweets."

Siesta huffed. "I have no interest in such things, nor does my employer. However… do you know where I can purchase large canteens and scale polish?"

Lars blinked before his grin returned. "That I do! Canteens are at the edge of town by the gates while you'll find scale polish over in the noble district. Good restaurants there from what I've heard too – would like to take my lady there if I can ever scratch up the cash."

Siesta's face scrunched in thought. "I see… thank you, sir. I appreciate the help."

Siesta bowed and bid Lars farewell, her gait steady despite the twisted grin that had settled on to her face.

Lars shivered and Jens joined him. "Cold one, eh?"

Lars shook his head. "Yeah, but I think we got her an idea. Let's get back and tell the others to watch the bakery and bar. The Zerbst will be there before long."

Jens slapped his friend' back. "Look on the bright side. It's not like the others can find the Zerbst before the ransom shows up."

"If her family doesn't do us in." Lars muttered. "Or the boss."

– – –

A bit later, Siesta found herself finally thinking something she hadn't expected _. I really must thank Lady Zerbst_ , Siesta considered, walking down the street with the last of the supplies in hand. _I'd almost forgotten Lady Louise's birthday was coming up_. The idea that something good had come from Kirche, even if it had taken her time to calm down and realize it, made her feel... a bit off.

She shook her head, pushing the thought away for the moment to think instead of much more pleasant things. Mostly Louise, and how she might could finally free her heart to follow the path it clearly desired most.

That the party had set out from the Academy only a scant couple of weeks before Louise was due to turn eighteen just gave her the perfect timing for things.

Siesta was quickly making her way back to the palace to meet up with the others. She'd taken her time on this last leg, though, playing with an idea of how she might be able to make Louise hers as soon as possible. It wasn't all that complicated, really. The biggest problem was Kirche, after all.

But with a party, she could get the redhead to drink a bit of wine. A bit too much, even. Kirche clearly hated Siesta at least nearly as much as she hated the Germanian at the moment, from how she had been acting. It would be so easy to bait her, to get her to pull out her wand for just a little wisp of flame, she was sure. Maybe a threat, or a taunt. And then she'd react as though struck, cry out in fear to Louise, and allow herself be dragged off to be comforted.

She could claim easily that she was still traumatized by her memories of the pain from the fire in Galton, and that being threatened with magical fire without being mentally prepared had caused a flashback. She could leverage that and Kirche's lack of graces to quickly put the final nail in Louise's crush on her, and have Louise agree to spend the night with her, to hold off any nightmares.

There was still Tabitha, of course, and Siesta had been regretting her threat to the other girl. She hadn't quite been thinking, at the time, and even beyond making her more difficult to work with, she just kind of felt... bad about it.

Still though, she was fairly sure she could manipulate the stoic girl through her crush, convincing her that once it was just down to the her and Siesta, it would be the kindest thing to Louise for Tabitha to bow out. It may have been cruel to manipulate Tabitha's emotional deficiency, but it was far crueler in Siesta's eyes to have done nothing to try and save Louise from her tormentors back at the Academy.

All would be made right, and Siesta's conscience would be clean.

With her mind set, Siesta had sped her pace until she reached the palace courtyard, only slightly out of breath. "Hello!" she called to the group.

Neb's head rose from the shade, Guiche and Kirche stepping into the light as well. "Ah, Siesta, I see you're back. Do you have everything, then?"

Siesta nodded as she reached the group. "Yes, and I came across some... interesting information. Something for us to think about."

Neb perked up, eyes shining as Siesta handed her spoils over to Guiche to store. "So? What did you find? Any information on the bandits, perhaps?"

Siesta shook her head, sheepish. "Sorry, no. I just realized, thanks to Lady Zerbst, that Lady Louise will be turning eighteen in a few days. I was thinking, while we're in town, we could celebrate her birthday tonight! I found a bakery that specializes in her favorite sweets and there are many restaurants to choose from within our budget."

Neb hummed at the idea while Kirche stared at Siesta in open shock. "What's with the change in attitude? When I tried asking about it, you looked like I had kicked your dog!"

Siesta plastered false apology on her face. "Forgive me, Lady Zerbst, I had a difficult time with one of the shop keepers before we spoke. I let my anger at them affect me, so again, I apologize."

She threw in a bow and internally smirked at the relief on Kirche's face. If only she knew what was coming.

"Well," Guiche said as he finished stowing Siesta's purchases, "I think it's a splendid idea, over all. Though there's little we can do for planning without Tabitha or Monmon. I know Louise is off tracking down a blacksmith for oil, but Tabitha and Monmon should be back soon."

"And why do we need to be back?" Montmorency asked as she and Tabitha entered the courtyard, a great piece of iron in hand. "Before you ask, Siesta, Neb asked us to get this so we had something to work and replace nails and such. Cheaper to give the smith the iron."

Siesta shrugged and repeated her plan. She knew Tabitha was suspicious, of course – the girl's stance simply radiated it to her – but everyone else looked fairly agreeable to the plan.

"I think we can do it," Neb finally decided. "But I think we should pool our resources to get her something besides dinner and a cake. …You do use cakes to celebrate here, right?"

Kirche nodded. "That we do, and I know exactly the cake we need! I'll head to the bakery and get it, so I'll leave the gift and such to you guys."

Guiche shrugged. "I know a good place to eat when I see it. I'll scout out the restaurants."

"Not without me you won't." Neb snorted. "You lot still need to learn the meaning of frugality and I refuse to blow everything we managed to acquire on some absurdly priced meal."

"Then we'll get the gift." Montmorency sighed, walking over to Tabitha's side. "Though getting her something fancy is probably a bad idea right now. What do you think, Siesta?" she asked, turning her head towards the maid.

Siesta shrugged. "Something practical would be best. If you want to try for something big, she could use some actual armor."

Neb hummed in thought. "Nothing heavy or hard to travel in. Truthfully, all of you need honest armor under those cloaks. It may always be best to avoid an attack, but sometimes you need an extra layer of protection."

"…Says the one with armored scales," Tabitha noted.

Neb chuckled. "Traveling with people that insist on covering every inch of their body with steel shows you how hard it is for those not blessed with natural defenses. She won't mind some iron, but try not to go overboard."

Tabitha smirked slightly. "No promises."

Neb sighed at the flippant response, but noticed Siesta and Tabitha glare at each other again before the group split up.

After he was sure they'd left, Neb tapped on the ground. "Verdandi, I need a favor."

The mole popped out of the ground and saluted with a squeak.

"Stop calling me captain," Neb groaned. "Look, can you keep an eye on Tabitha? I have a feeling she and Siesta are getting to the point of no return, and we need to be ready."

Verdandi squeaked and gestured where Siesta had been.

"I'll be sending Flame after her." Neb answered. "If she does something out of line, I'll know about it. Go for now, we'll meet up later."

Verdandi squeaked and tunneled away, Neb calling over Flame and explaining his role before standing with a groan. "Alright, let's go make sure Guiche doesn't choose something that will beggar us again."

He began to walk away when he heard someone call for him. "Sir Neb, wait a moment!"

Neb paused and looked back to find Carol running towards him. "Ms. Carol? What's going on?"

The woman panted as she came to a stop, panic clear. "I think the bandits are in the city! Some of the city patrol were talking about activity over by the docks last night, but no boats docked yesterday and the next to leave is three days from now."

Neb's maw twisted with a growl. "I'm assuming you don't have a specific location?"

Carol shook her head. "No, I'd have stormed them already if I did. Rather, I'm heading to the docks to investigate the rumors. Considering your group has a stake in this, I thought you should know."

Neb sighed through his nose. "I see… thank you for informing me, I'll be sure to tell everyone before the end of the night."

Carol nodded. "Thank you. The sooner they're dealt with, the sooner everything can get back to normal."

Neb hummed as she walked away, suspicious at the lack of soldiers accompanying her. "Don't do anything reckless, sergeant. Last thing we need is to have to go mounting a rescue.

– – –

"…This is hard."

Montmorency rolled her eyes at the rather obvious comment. "It's not my fault every armorer's ready-made pieces are sized for full grown men. Besides, you're the one that said we can't try for a custom order."

Tabitha gave Montmorency a half-hearted glare. "…No time to wait on new one. Armor takes time. Re-fitting something close would be best. Try the next one. Maybe the gauntlets, if nothing else."

Montmorency bit her lip; that wasn't a bad idea. "Well, I see one more up ahead. We'll go with your idea if they don't have a breastplate."

Tabitha nodded and silence fell between them. Neither were the closest of friends, even after Neb's training, so there was little for them to talk about.

Tabitha, oddly, came up with a topic. "Do you think... we'll actually go into Germania?"

"Unless we get another lead, probably not," Montmorency replied without pause. "If the bandits have the axe like Neb thinks, then all that paperwork was useless."

Tabitha's lips quirked up a bit. "Kirche... should be glad." She knew that the redhead had been dreading the idea of having to introduce Louise to her family. She wasn't great at hiding her feelings, and her family would at least realize that she cared about Louise as a friend, if nothing else. A discussion about that would likely get... heated.

Montmorency waved the words away. "Well, we're here, so let's see if they can help or we'll have to fall back on perfume."

Tabitha grimaced at the thought of having to head to a perfumer. Those places always made her head spin, even when she was a child.

Montmorency ignored the grimace and pushed open the armorer's door. "Excuse me, we're looking for some armor."

An extremely average man perked up from behind the store's counter. With his brown hair, muddy brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin, he very nearly faded into the scenery around him. Then again, to Montmorency, most commoners seemed to do that when they wanted to. "What kind? You ladies got a bodyguard that needs some new plate or chain?"

Montmorency sauntered up to him, putting on an air of authority that being a noble granted her. It normally helped her get better service and deals, save for with a few less savory sorts who clearly didn't understand their place in life. Or those who just had enough money sense to try to gouge any noble who didn't know to haggle them down. "We're looking for a gift. A friend of ours will be joining a knightly order soon, and we're looking for something…useful."

The man scratched his chin. "I see… Alright, milady, if you need something useful for the knight orders, I'd choose brigadine with some faulds. If you want to go the extra mile, gauntlets and greaves are good with it too."

Montmorency did the math in her head, slowly nodding. "If we make a purchase or not will still depend on whether you have the pieces in the size we need, though," she warned. "Our friend is not of… great stature."

She pointed to Tabitha. "Think her, but more muscular."

Tabitha didn't appreciate the comment, and her glare showed it, but the man smiled. "Well, you're in luck. I had a custom order come in last month for someone around her size, but they never showed. Give me a moment and I'll retrieve it for you."

Montmorency and Tabitha exchanged surprised glances before settling in. It wasn't long before the shop keeper came back with a package in his arms. "Here we are. Milady, your friend can try this on."

Montmorency looked to Tabitha, who was shaking her head. "Come on Tabitha, we won't know if it fits if you don't try it on. Blame Louise or yourself for having such a similar build."

Tabitha glared again, but sighed when presented with the package. "…Fine."

She took the package and opened it up, starting to pull out the pieces to examine and check the fit. They'd still likely need some adjustments for Louise, but if they were close enough, they might do in a pinch even before.

She barely had it halfway on before Montmorency was starting to hammer out the price for it with the smith.

– – –

"Thank you!"

Kirche skipped from the bakery, a beaming grin on her face. Not only had she been able to get a cake, the owner had thrown in a frosted cinnamon loaf after Kirche had worked her charms on him.

Now they had sweets for everyone!

Humming down the street, Kirche looked to the sky. "My but it's getting late. I should get back before anyone starts to worry about me."

She turned for the castle, keeping a firm grip on her prizes as she went. It was nice to be the one to get Louise's cake, especially since she'd noticed Louise had never celebrated her birthday while they'd been at the Academy. All she did was study.

So, in the interest of giving her a good night, she'd gotten Louise her favorite cake.

Gingerbread.

The Academy didn't see that kind of cake until the fall months when the necessary spices became available, but Kirche always noticed Louise take as many as she could carry when they were served. It was a stroke of luck that the bakery had the ingredients on hand.

Hopefully the cinnamon loaf would get Siesta to mellow out, too. Kirche was fairly sure that she had been a bit too hard on the maid after... what she overheard, and clearly, Siesta had picked up on things. So, this could be something of a peace offering as well, since she vaguely thought she remembered that Siesta enjoyed cinnamon. Probably. It was the thought that counted though, right?

She still didn't plan to bow out of the race even if it looked like someone else had already beaten her, but she could at least be a good sport about it and not let her feelings hurt the group as a whole. Especially since she was honestly starting to suspect she had ruined any chances she might have had with Louise long ago.

Kirche was so caught up in her own head she never noticed the alley she walked by. Or the rock aimed square at her head.

Kirche's head rang as the rock collided with her temple, vision going sideways and blurring immediately. "Wha-?"

Her hold on the cake and loaf loosened, but she didn't drop them. Even as she fell to her knees and nausea flooded her sense, Kirche pushed the packages aside so she wouldn't vomit on them. "What… hit me?"

Muffled voices reached her and she felt hands rifle through her pockets. "Hey!"

More voices, the sound of snapping wood, and Kirche felt hands grab her limbs and shoulders. "Let… go of… me…"

Nausea took over and she lurched forward, bile spilling onto the street. The blow to her head must have been worse than she had thought, if she wasn't recovering yet. It was almost like what happened when Louise had used too much force in a sparring match.

Rope soon bound her and Kirche knew she needed to call for help. The breaking wood earlier must have been her wand and she didn't have her weapons on her. Not that she could have used them, with the bindings holding her arms tight.

Her vision steadied slightly, and the ringing in her ears started to quiet. She took the momentary chance and shouted into the street. "Help!"

The people grabbing her immediately shoved something into her mouth. Kirche didn't know what it was, but she did her best to spit it out. "Helphw!"

A shadow appeared at the entrance to the alley, Kirche realizing she'd been dragged from the street and out of sight. In fact, she recognized the shadow. Siesta!

The maid stared into the alley, her face… shocked, before quickly going still and passive as she looked up at Kirche's captors. Kirche felt a pit open in her stomach at the look, especially with most of her captors continuing their work. She worked the gag out of her mouth fully for a moment, pulling against the attacker's arms to try to reach an ally. "Siesta, help me!"

Siesta was fingering her sleeves, at the knives that she always seemed to keep there, when one of the other men stepped forward.

"Ya don't wanna be doin' that, lady. Just move along and pretend ya didn't see anythin'."

The voice was accompanied by a growl from another of the men – just how many were there in here with her?

"Look, we'll not be damagin' her too badly. She's worth a lot to ol' daddy dearest intact. But you? Yer's a pretty face without anyone ta ransom to, against all o' us. Besides, we've been watching ya – wouldn't life be so much easier, without this one nasty noble?"

Kirche's face twisted in shock as she saw the maid slowly take a step back, her hands leaving her sleeves without a glint of steel. "Siesta… this is no time to be kidding! We're friends ri-!"

Another blow to her head sent Kirche to the realm of dreams, and Siesta watching the captors finish binding Kirche's mouth and eyes before fleeing.

Shaking, and without a word, Siesta leaned down and picked up the packages. As she'd thought, Kirche had gotten the gingerbread.

It had been simple fortune that the captors had come for her right as Siesta walked by, but as confident as she was in her skills... she wasn't so confident that she was sure she could fight six large, armed men in a small alley. For Louise, she wouldn't have hesitated, of course, but...

Well, wasn't the thug right? Wouldn't her life be easier if Kirche wasn't there for a bit?

Perhaps Kirche would even end up with that pretty face of hers ruined, left unable to keep attempting to seduce Louise away to hurt her. Or even better, even without any permanent damage, it would be enough of a scare for the Zebst family that they wouldn't allow their daughter to return to the group, or even the Academy.

Louise would want to save her, of course... but without following them, Siesta wouldn't be able to help find them. And... rushing in without thinking would be dangerous, even for a group as skilled as theirs had become. Especially with that axe. Really, keeping quiet and helping Louise focus on preparing to do things right would be for the best. Hopefully taking long enough for Kirche to have already been sent back to her father.

Turning on her heel, Siesta set out for the castle, breathing out shakily as she reached the lip of the alley. Her eyes widened as she spotted Flame staring from the other side of the road, clearly having seen her. The Salamander turned and started fleeing towards the group, and she let out a curse.

She didn't think, simply dashing forward to follow, a knife falling into her hands and her own personal sedative poison coating it with a deft movement. She reached the other alley, moments before Flame would turn past the wall, and steel flew.

The wet thud of knife meeting flesh didn't make her flinch, but she swallowed softly as she realized that she was going to have to try to hide him for a bit. Maybe keep him sedated after he was found, at least until she could explain things...

She closed her eyes as she heard the unconscious body slump to the ground, wondering just how badly she had possibly screwed up in her panic.

– – –

"What the hell?"

Carol cursed under her breath as she silently followed her quarry. The two drunkards had stumbled out of a tavern right as the sun set, laughing to each other about their 'secret base'. Carol would have barely paid it any mind, but she noticed their stumbling gaits going towards the docks.

On a hunch, she'd followed them and it had led her to an unused section of the docks, home to many warehouses that sat on ledgers for little more than formality.

Now, she'd seen a group of about six or seven march into one of the warehouses, a familiar curtain of red hair carried between them. A short glimpse inside when the doors opened for the group showed a lot more.

Carol cursed again as her quarry went beyond her reach. There was a large stretch between her hiding spot and the warehouse Lady Zerbst had been taken to, and trying to cross it when sentries sat on the roof was suicide.

"What I wouldn't give for Lady Tabitha's dragon." Carol muttered. "Even Sir Neb would be useful to distract the sentries." Distract, eat... she wouldn't be complaining either way, honestly. She wasn't feeling very generous for the men who had set Galton ablaze.

Unfortunately there was nothing she could do. If it helped, she had the bandits location. The problem was whether they'd be able to rescue Lady Zerbst while she was still relatively intact. If they took too long...

Carol shivered, not wanting to think on what could happen. Instead, she gathered herself together and began to retrace her steps.

After several minutes of cutting through dark alleys and scaring off drunkards with her spear, Carol came into sight of a lively street.

"Thank the Founder," she sighed. "Once this is done, maybe Jessamine will forgive the debt."

"I highly doubt that, Lady Carol."

Carol had enough time to gasp before a hammer of wind slammed into her ribs and sent her into the wall of a building. Coughing, she staggered to her feet and glared at the dark figure. "What… are you doing here?"

The man chuckled. "Why, saving your life. Those mercenaries have served their purpose, but I'd rather not have the rightful heir to Roer dead by that maniac's hand."

A wand-sword glinted in the low light, the point leveled squarely at Carol's face. "Goodnight, Lady Carol. I'll be sure to inform your cousin that the bandits captured you before removing her."

Carol snarled, her attacker's name flying from her throat before the wind slammed into her and destroyed her hope for release.

"Wardes!"

– – –

Louise huffed and wrapped her cloak tightly around her, grumbling in the chilly night air. "That... took way too long," she muttered. Who would have thought that going to a butcher and apothecary would take so long? She'd left the castle again after getting the oil, looking to track down jerky and replacements for the herbs they'd used to heal Siesta. She had expected it would take her a couple hours at the most. She had her choice of butchers to get the damn meat, but finding an apothecary worth their garden had been torture.

Now it was past sunset and the darkness of night had wrapped Roer in its embrace. Lamps lit the streets still, and people walked among the shops and roads in nearly as thick groups, at least for the moment. Louise found the noise a tad stifling, especially since she'd slept in near silence for so long, but seeing so much life in a city was pleasant in of itself she supposed.

Shaking her head, Louise sped for the castle. Everyone was likely there by now, so she needed to get there and catch up on the day.

Weaving her way through the crowds, Louise swore she spotted a familiar face just before the castle. Was that… Sir Wardes?

She looked around to be sure, but didn't see the grey hair and goatee she remembered. Shrugging it off, Louise bowed to the gatehouse guards before entering the courtyard. "I'm back!"

Louise was greeted by several happy faces, though she noticed Neb's was strained just enough for her to spot. "What's going on?"

Guiche gave an extravagant bow. "Why, dinner awaits the guest of honor."

Louise tilted her head, not sure what that meant. "Dinner? What's the occasion?"

Tabitha stepped forward. "…Birthday, Louise. Hard to celebrate on the road."

"And we won't take no for an answer." Montmorency said, interrupting Louise's attempted denial. "You're going to be eighteen this week! Of course we should celebrate a friend reaching such a milestone!"

Siesta walked up to Louise, a warm smile on her lips. "We may not have been together long, milady, but we'd like to do this now. Oh, and uh... don't worry about Kirche. I think she was... going to be late trying to get you a surprise of some sort."

Louise smiled too, overjoyed at the prospect of an actual birthday party. "That's… thank you, all of you. I... probably wouldn't have thought of it even with the stress of hunting the bandits. But, if you all insist, I'll agree."

Siesta looked away, hands pressed together at her side as Neb stomped forward, his grin eased if only a smidgen. "We quite insist. It's unlikely we'll be able to celebrate anything for some time, so why not now?"

Louise's smile widened. "Okay… well let's get over there. Guiche, can we trust Verdandi to let Kirche know where we are?"

Guiche gestured to the ground and Verdandi popped out with a squeak and a pose. "He will leave post-haste!"

Louise nodded and looked to Tabitha. "Is Sylphid not back yet?"

Tabitha shrugged, lips only slightly tightened by worry. She had been expecting Sylphid back a while ago, but despite everything, she was still a dragon. It wouldn't even be the first time she had gorged herself and fallen asleep somewhere she really shouldn't have. "…Be fine, knows how to find me."

Louise chuckled and almost spun in place. "Then what are we waiting for? Let me put these with our things and we can go!"

Louise hurried to their pile of things and Siesta naturally gave chase. Neb, seeing them out of ear shot, snaked his head down next to Guiche's ear. "Tell Verdandi to seek out Flame. Call it a hunch, but I don't think he'll find Kirche without our favorite salamander."

Guiche glanced at him, clearly alarmed, but Neb quelled any words. "Do not panic, let me worry about it. Enjoy your time at dinner, we can worry about business afterward."

Guiche masked his alarm and nodded. "Alright, Verdi, go find Flame."

The mole bowed and disappeared, shortly reappearing to deposit a small emerald before going for good.

"You never did tell me how much his haul was worth," Neb mused as Louise and Siesta returned. "I guess I'll ask later. Shall we?"

The group cheered and went off to make merry, Neb silently hoping Verdandi could find Flame. There was simply no way Kirche would ever just hand over a cake and cinnamon loaf to Siesta as things stood.

Something foul was in the air, and it wasn't just the horse manure.

– – –

When she came to, Kirche found herself shoved into the corner of a room. She tried to wiggle, but her arms and legs were bound tightly, while a leather bit was tied around her mouth. Why she could see was a mystery, even just moving her head a little sent the world spinning for her.

Holding in a sick burp, Kirche breathed deeply. The noise caused some movement to her left, so Kirche knew she wasn't alone

A voice chuckled in her ear and Kirche soon beheld a man with a head far too small for his body. "Lookit that, the Zerbst awakes. You got some fortitude girl, wasn't expectin' ya to wake up for a few more hours."

Kirche glared at him, bit holding her tongue in place.

"That's the fire your family's famous for." The man cackled. "But even drakes'll bow when you have their eggs hostage. You'll net me a lot of gold girl, enough for me to retire after our next raid."

He stood and unhooked something behind his back. "Then again, I do so enjoy using this thing. 'Dane Fire Axe' they'll call me. I don't even need to fear nobles with this thing, not like that coward Fouquet."

Kirche's eyes finally focused and she gasped around her gag. The axe he was holding had burning blades and what looked like magma filled veins running through the black steel.

It had to be the Mountain Cleaver!

Dane noticed her gasp. "Oh, you recognize this axe? Shouldn't surprise me, those priests in the Fire Mountains liked to boast about it. Well, at least they did until I killed them to get it."

He cackled again and sheathed the axe. "Anyway, you'll be with us a few days, 'very least. Daddy dearest won't kill us with you here, but he'll pay more if you're in good condition. Don't struggle, and you'll be fine."

Kirche's glare intensified, but she couldn't speak and her nausea was still there. Besides, everyone was looking for these bandits and Flame probably felt her panic when they captured her. Unless these bandits were thorough, she'd be rescued before long.

Then she could crush these bastards under her own axe before confronting Siesta. Her head hurt as she tried to remember the details, and her mind felt slightly fuzzy on it still, but what she remembered had her fuming silently.

The maid had just sat there as Kirche had been taken away, completely ignoring her! She'd outright refused to lift a finger to help as she was abducted and dragged off!

Kirche didn't know what she'd done to slight the maid to the point of such a betrayal, but by the Founder she would have answers.

And depending on what Siesta said, perhaps blood, too.

– – –

"Oh, I needed that," Louise sighed out happily, walking with the group from the restaurant. It was a place that prided itself on food that was hearty and filling, as well as delicious and affordable, making for a nice compromise between Guiche and Neb. Guiche had still complained about how little class the place had, and Neb probably would have glared a hole through the bill if he had seen it, but it had been good, and even if not cheap, it had been fair. Now they were walking down the street, and Louise was eager to see the surprise Kirche had been willing to miss supper to finish.

The walk back was pleasant, the night air's chill fought off easily by the closeness of Louise's friends around her. Once they had managed to get back to the castle, she was led to their supply stash, where Tabitha quickly moved forward to pull out a decent sized crate.

Montmorency placed a hand onto Louise's shoulder, grinning as she motioned for the group to quiet down from the last few jokes and chuckles.

"First," Montmorency proclaimed once she had silence, "we have a gift for you. We pulled out some of our gem funds courtesy of Verdandi... and got you this!"

Tabitha presented the crate with a smile, though she appeared just a bit embarrassed. With a gesture of her staff, the top pulled away so that Louise could look inside. "…Hope it fits."

Louise leaned in with an amused grin on her face, though she paused with a lifted eyebrow when she got through the wrappings. "Uh… what is this?"

Montmorency had the proudest grin on her face, posing as she tilted her head up into the air. "It's armor! We thought you could use some – we all could, really – but since it was your birthday it seemed only appropriate that you be the first to have the honor."

Louise chuckled, not wanting to sound ungrateful. "Well, I mean, it looks like it will probably fit... at least well enough. But, uh… what's with the... embellishments?"

Tabitha shrugged. "…Custom design, order didn't get picked up. Only thing in our- in your size that we found."

Louise hummed for a moment, looking over it. Finally, she smiled back again, before nodding. "Thanks, this is great! I'll look like a real Chevalier with this! Though, honestly, I'll probably get rid of the extras when I have time."

Siesta giggled at Louise's exited tone. "Well, I don't mean to intrude, but why don't we find a spot and split the sweets? We can give Kirche her slice... when she arrives." And if there was a bit of hesitation in her statement, everyone knew Kirche and Siesta had been a bit snippy at each other, lately.

Louise looked unsure, but nodded. "Alright… but I refuse to call this a night until she's back."

The others agreed, and after some brief discussion, they walked back out with the sweets, moving to the outer courtyard to eat under the stars. That it would let them watch the street and spot Kirche the moment she got back was just icing on the cake. After getting settled, Siesta pulled out the cake along with one of her many knives. "I assume Sir Neb will not be partaking?"

Neb shook his head from the side, laying on the ground with his bulk near a tree. "Sweets do not agree with me. Let's simply leave it at that."

Siesta moved to start dividing the cake, leaving one slightly smaller slice remaining in the package for Kirche as promised. Siesta internally mused that Kirche may very well never touch it... though it was more than likely that the bandits would be ransoming her back to her homeland, rather than killing her, at least. She... she'd be fine, and there was absolutely no reason for Siesta to be worrying about her, she assured herself.

She passed the slices around and they raised a salute. "To our dearest friend, Louise. May she forever devastate the countryside and remain good humored!"

Louise glared at her guffawing friends. "Alright, who came up with that?"

Tabitha shyly smiled, and raised her hand. "Thought... I'd try to make a joke. Explosions are... a signature for you. Enemies would try to keep you happy, if they were more intelligent."

"It's called Implosion, not Explosion," Louise muttered. Though she was actually rather pleased by the clear sign that Tabitha really was getting a bit more comfortable with them. She couldn't have imagined the Tabitha she knew back at the academy in her earlier days making any sort of joke. "Anyway, cake time!"

She was about to take the first bite when a shrill screech sounded above her, the sound coming from Neb's throat. "Flame!"

Louise whipped her head to the entrance of the courtyard, following the sudden twisting of her familiar's head. There, a tired Verdandi was guiding a bleeding and lethargic Flame towards them. "What the hell?!"

Verdandi squeaked something and Neb ran towards him, his steps shaking the earth. "You couldn't find Kirche?! Did you try to follow a scent?"

Verdandi squeaked tiredly, obviously exhausted from supporting Flame's bulk. The Salamander gave a weak whimper, eyes unfocused and drifting.

"Damn it," Neb spat. "Louise, Flame's been drugged! I need you and the others to go see whoever you met with this afternoon and tell them Kirche's missing. I'll go with Verdandi and try to track her scent."

Lousie nodded and took off, orders flying from her lips. "Monmon, get an antidote together! Flame can shed some light on what happened if you do! Guiche, I trust you to speak with Viserio. I don't care what you have to do, just get that information!"

She looked to Tabitha, who was keeping pace with her. "Get Sylphid back here and search the skies! Look anywhere kidnappers would prefer to hide, but don't engage. We're all going in for her."

Tabitha nodded and Louise looked to Siesta. "Help Neb track them down, you know what to look for. Follow his orders like they're my own!"

Siesta nodded, slowed down, and raced back to find Neb with a complicated expression on her face. In the meantime, Louise started messing with the bag of armor. "Monmon, don't you dare laugh after I get this on. Once you've got that antidote, we're going to find Ms. Carol."

Montmorency allowed a rueful smile. "No promises, but I'll keep it short. Let's just hope our friend isn't in the hands of savages."

Louise shivered, knowing such a thing was possible. "They touch her, we end them. I care not for judgement, or even rule of law at this point."

Her face twisted in a snarl.

"This is personal."

– – –

As expected, Neb had laid Flame onto his back with Verdandi for ease of movement and to let the familiars rest.

Siesta jogged up to him, all business. "Lady Louise has instructed that I help you in locating Lady Zerbst. I... will do all I can to help." She looked almost as though she was about to say more, but a glance at Flame had her bowing her head once more, silent.

Neb nodded. "Good, I'll need you on the rooftops. Verdandi gave me a starting point, so try to keep up."

Siesta nodded and clambered up the wall of a nearby building. The gaps between the buildings weren't very large, so she was able to leap between them without issue. Neb kept pace with her easily, his loping strides shaking gravel from the road.

They journeyed through the city with as much grace as they could, even as Neb's bulk forced him to dodge around carts and plow through crowds only just starting to consider turning in for the night. He was very careful not to step on anyone, but more than a few angry shouts followed them.

Thankfully, they arrived at the alley where Kirche had been taken with no more trouble than necessary. Siesta hopped from her vantage with a sigh, eyes glancing over the area. "Sir Neb... I think-"

Her words were cut off as Flame leapt from Neb's back, eyes narrowed to slits and flame leaking from his mouth as he hissed at her. Siesta barely had a moment to think about it before Neb's claw came around and slammed her into the building she'd just been on.

"You do not deserve to call me that." Neb hissed, voice calm. "Flame worked off that sedative faster than you thought he would. He told me how you entered this street right as Kirche was struck. How it was your knife that poisoned him. He watched you, as you stood there and watched Kirche get taken!"

His last words were a screech that hurt Siesta's ears. Neb's head came down until Siesta could see both of his eyes, pupils narrowed in rage. "You will tell me what happened in Galton. You will tell me what caused you to hate her enough to betray us..."

His claw tightened around Siesta, enough to make her choke, but not to crush her ribs. Yet.

"Answer, servant. Do so and you may yet see the dawn. Heaven, Kirche, and Louise willing you may even sniff redemption."

His tongue lashed out and ran the length of the terrified girl's cheek.

"Do not, and I will taste your blood."

 _Ch. End_

 **Well that's happened.**

 **Siesta: I don't want to be the bad guy! Do you have any idea how hard it is to do these scenes and talk to people afterward?**

 **7: You're a great actress, that ability to sell it is wonderful! Besides, it's all part of the plan!**

 **Now then, before she tries to murder me, review responses!**

 **Sazq: All things come with time, and Siesta's sneaky in general since I'm making her into the local assassin. Not exactly feeling great right now though, and neither is Kirche! Mt. Louise's eruption will be all kinds of fun ?**

 **OBSERVOR01: We're not going full on Yuno Gasai, Kirche wouldn't be alive if we did.**

 **Dragonnargus: It got worse! We'll get through, just have to work at it.**

 **Luna's Meow: The height, seriously? I made her grow all of a half-inch! It's not like she's suddenly Kirche's height with Cattelya's knockers, just because of a diet change! Anyway, that aside, they're human. If humans actually talked about their problems rather than bury them we'd have a lot less of them. And no plot, so there's that too.**

 **Woeful Indeed: You mean necessary angst? Look, I'm not a big fan of the sad stuff either, but I do my best to make the characters mostly human. Jealousy is a common factor in life and it's led to some truly horrendous events. If anything, I'm going the light route with this.**

 **Zealous specter: The max's all sit at one-hundred, which makes that character a certified expert in that particular field/skill. The average person in terms of skill tends to lie in the thirties with nobles are a little higher with mid-forties most of the time along with access to the magic skills. Louise's skills in magic are considered low for a mage while her book knowledge is extraordinary. Hope that helps!**

 **Chaosrin: I'd call her current situation over her head.**

 **Primrosered: This is, believe it or not, the third iteration of this chapter. I believe that NPC did a wonderful job toning Siesta down and I hope that both his edits and my writing convey that. As discussed over PM, we're aware that she was going nuts, but hopefully this shows that she's not insane, just deluded.**

 **That's all I got people, so I'm going to run from Siesta. Hope you enjoyed!**


	22. Inner Demons

**As recompense for the far too long wait, NPC and I bring you a wonderful update to ring in the new year!**

 **Let's go have some fun, shall we?**

 _Inner Demons_

Siesta couldn't breathe.

It wasn't just the giant paw crushing her against the stone wall, claws digging into it on either side of her head. It wasn't even the suffocating heat of Flame's rage, the salamander's flame burning hot as he crowded close to her.

It was fear. Fear of her death staring her in the face. Fear of being helpless again despite all of her work – of going back to being the commoner who lived in terror of the whims of the nobles around her.

Fear... that she couldn't even explain herself properly in her own mind when she tried to think about what she could say. Fear, that maybe she had really and truly let things go too far, and that Louise would hate her after this... and be right to.

She could hardly even fathom her own idiocy right then. When Kirche had been attacked, even if she couldn't have taken all of the men down on her own, she could have killed or wounded some as she escaped. She could have run back as quickly as she could to call the others and tell them immediately what had happened.

Or, if she was really going to let Kirche be taken, and try to hide it? She should have at least finished Flame off. What did she expect to happen, leaving the salamander alive?

If she was going to choose her own selfishness anyway, why hadn't she followed through? Flame wasn't going to forget what he had seen, nor what he had thought he had seen. He wasn't going to forget her dagger. So once she had thrown her blade, once she had started on the road to concealing things and letting fate simply help her with her problems? She could have blamed his death on the bandits.

Who would have contradicted her? Kirche was unconscious, so even with her link, she wouldn't have known the truth. Even if she escaped, or came back somehow after her family paid her ransom, she wouldn't have known.

Neb's maw gaped in front of her, inching closer until she could smell the stink of rotting meat hanging on his breath. The smell of his last meal, and of what awaited her if she couldn't satisfy the hydra. "Speak, Traitor."

She pushed against his clawed foot, lungs burning as she gasped, her eyes tearing up while her head swam. "I... can't... breathe..." she managed to cough out.

The pressure on her chest lessened just enough for her to suck in a lungful of precious air. She coughed again, hacking as she tried to recover despite the crushing, oppressive feeling in the air around her.

"Speak," Neb repeated, implacable as he stared down at her. "Your life depends on it."

Siesta desperately tried to cling to something that she could say to excuse what she had done, but there was nothing. She desperately tried to think of something that would give her a chance to live. Nothing came. The pressure in her head was leaving her dizzy and faint, but she had to say something, anything at all. Even if only to have someone understand.

"I... I panicked," she choked out around tears. "I was going to just... try to keep Louise from running in without a plan, was going to... but then I saw Flame, and he was running, and I didn't stop them from taking her..."

Even with the claws moving away from her, Siesta couldn't move. Rather, she found herself on the ground, the stone pressing against her cheeks as she struggled to stay conscious through the mind-numbing feeling of weight pressing in from all sides inside her skull. She had never thought of herself as a fainting maiden, but was this actually what it felt like? She felt like she was drowning in her own swirling thoughts, everything slipping through her fingers.

When Neb's voice came, it felt too loud, too sharp in her ears, and she winced under him. "Why?"

He didn't elaborate, though the rumbling growl in his voice did plenty of that for her. She shook her head, cheeks scraping against the stone as she tried to get enough air, tried to think, to say something. "I... they wouldn't hurt her anyway; n -not if they wanted money f-for her. Nobles... they d-don't have to worry the same as u-us. And... if she was just out of the way!"

Her cry mingled desperation and frustration at last, and the dam seemed to burst for a moment. Words tumbled out from her as she found some small surge of strength starting to help her, sharp edged and hard, but clear all the same. "She'd be fine... so why would it matter? She has everything already, so why can't she just give me one thing? Why did she have to be taking the only thing I really let myself want? Why..." she trailed off, sniffling against the ground, before her voice came back as a whisper, the strength gone as quickly as it had come. "W-why did she have to start trying to take Louise from me?"

There was silence for a moment following her question, and by the time that Neb seemed to have found what he wanted to say, she had already finally lost the battle with the exhaustion, the heat and the mounting stress. As oblivion reached up for her mind, she welcomed it, wondering if she'd actually wake up again. Wondering if she wouldn't prefer not to, if only to avoid the inevitable look of betrayal in Louise's eyes.

As Siesta slumped into unconsciousness, Neb pulled a paw down his face. This was exactly the sort of reason he had told Louise to make sure to try to deal with things as quickly as she could, or at least tell him what was going on. Personally, he didn't know why humans had to go making romance as complicated as they did, but now he was going to have to help pick up some of the pieces for her.

As Flame stepped forward, growling low in his throat at Siesta's prone form, the hydra lowered his paw back to the ground and pushed the Salamander back.

"That isn't going to help anything right now, Flame," he said. "We might be able to get some more details out of her later, but if nothing else, your master will likely want to have a talk with Siesta herself once we free her."

He shook his head. As much help as Siesta might be to scout and find rumors of where the bandits were, if they were still in the city, she was unstable right then. He thought that he could probably talk sense into her, from the guilt writ large on her face and in her voice, but right now... he couldn't trust her properly. No one in their group would be able to, after hiding Kirche's abduction from them.

No, it would be best to find somewhere to have her held for the duration, just in case she thought it would be "helpful" to warn the bandits that they were coming, and encourage them to leave. The longer that Kirche was in their hands, the less likely things were to have a happy ending for anyone involved.

"Flame, go try to find Lady Carol," he finally ordered. Flame looked up at him, before looking back at Siesta with another growl. "Don't worry about her, for now," Neb added. "I'll take care of her. But finding and retrieving Kirche has to be our first priority, and I'm almost certain it's the same bandits we're after who took your master. Lady Carol can organize the guards in light of the evidence that they're in the city."

Grudgingly, the salamander nodded, turning to go. Before leaving the alley though, he scratched his foot down in the ground, gouging stone to kick up against the maid as he started bounding down out to the street.

Once he was out of sight, Neb allowed himself a moment to simply slump a bit, looking down at Siesta once more. "Just what exactly made you do such a thing?" he whispered, before picking her up. He sighed, turning to take her back towards Louise and the others. He wasn't really looking forward to explaining everything to Louise without having all of the pieces to the puzzle himself, but he was going to have to, to make sure she wouldn't try to rouse Siesta to take with them.

 _-Louise-_

"I told you not to laugh, Monmon!" Louise griped with a sullen look aimed towards the blonde.

Montmorency was busy trying not to fall from her chair, clutching onto the side of her desk while she worked. The two of them had decided that, if they were going to be waiting on other people, they could at least get some preparations done. For Montmorency, that meant pulling up a desk, getting out some equipment, and mixing up some potions. For Louise, it had meant putting on her new armor.

There was just one little problem with it.

"Come Louise," Montmorency giggled, adding a mushroom to her concoction, "you have to admit that it works!"

Louise pouted. "Sure, it's functional. I'll give it that. But... these extras are worse than I thought!"

Gazing down at herself, Louise's pout morphed to a grimace. The armor was a steel cuirass with short faulds, vambraces, gloves, greaves, and a mail shirt underneath. Normally, the setup would be fairly intimidating, even if her stature would subtract a bit from it. However, the whole thing was painted a pale pink and gold, with various silly looking fish embellishments added to it. All. Over.

It was embarrassing, it was bright, and it only made her look significantly more childish than she really felt comfortable with.

"Look on the bright side." Montmorency chided, a puff of smoke coming from her work. "Your opponents will be too busy laughing to defend themselves."

Louise growled, shifting her weight as she tried to get used to the feeling of the armor. "What I want to know is who ordered something like this! It's like a five year-old and a knight got into an argument and had to compromise!"

Montmorency shrugged and poured her potion into a flask. "Alright, that's the last of them. I'll explain which ones I made on the run. For now, let's see what's keeping Guiche."

Louise nodded, moving to help Montmorency pack her things before they left. The halls were deserted, as expected considering the late hour, but Louise found herself a bit worried about the distinct lack of patrols. "Odd. I haven't seen a single guard check in around here in over an hour," she commented.

"Lady Jessamine is not known for her generosity," Montmorency replied, shrugging. "Nor is she known as a big spender. It wouldn't surprise me if that guard we saw before going into the room is the only one on duty for this part of the castle."

Louise snorted. "I'm amazed she hasn't been robbed yet. Then again, normal robbers wouldn't risk the witch-hunt those bandits are getting. Do you think Galton's tax has to do with the low spending?"

Montmorency shrugged, stopping next to a window. "Who knows? Also, it looks like Tabitha's back."

Louise rushed to the window and looked out to the courtyard, the familiar blue of Sylphid's scales shining in the moonlight. A small form was making its way to the castle, steps hurried and desperate.

Seeing her in such a rush had Louise frowning in concern, though a bit of tension drained from her shoulders when her inspections didn't show any clear signs of injury on Tabitha. With Kirche kidnapped, and Siesta out trying to help pick up their trail, possibly going into danger without Louise there as backup...

Well, she was starting to find herself constantly worrying about what might hit her next. Tabitha should have been safe, and Louise knew that she was a competent fighter – probably one of their better ones, even – but that hadn't stopped her from fretting. Kirche should have been safe, after all.

She only turned from the window after Tabitha's form was out of sight of it. With a slight motion, Louise set her cloak billowing behind her, striding forward. "Right, Tabitha found something," she finally said. "Let's go find out what we've got to work with."

Montmorency jogged after Louise, silently marveling at how mature she looked there. Well, aside from her armor, of course. With it on, it made the dramatic gesture nearly crack her up all over again.

They came up on the corner walking fast, Louise out in front and rushing just a bit too much to be watching where she was going. As such, when Guiche turned the corner just as she reached it, it ended with a crash, a few words significantly less flowery than what usually came from Guiche's lips, and the blonde boy falling onto his rear.

Louise, on the other hand, wound up careening forward, her armor's extra momentum not letting her stop as she tripped over Guiche, falling and tumbling forward into the middle of the hall in an absolute cacophony of sound.

Montmorency lifted a hand to her mouth, doing her best not to laugh once more. Really, it was almost mortifying how much she had been laughing despite the stress of their situation. Ultimately, she decided to chalk it up to stress – everyone dealt with it in their own ways, and apparently for her, that meant finding something to smile about.

Guiche held a hand to his head as he staggered to his feet, unsteady for a moment as he hissed out softly. "My word, Louise. Were you going for a full body tackle ther-" he paused, finally having caught a proper look at her armor as she turned over, flopping onto her cloak and rubbing her sore rear. "...Oh my. It looks even more... breathtaking... when it's worn," he muttered, blinking as he struggled to hold a straight face.

Louise glared up, daring him to say anything. "Am I the only one who wants to be serious here?" she grumbled, finding her own feet and rubbing at her side. "Though I guess it's good to know that this stuff doesn't help any with a fall. What did you manage?"

Guiche shook his head, starting his report even as they started forward again, Louise leading the way with a bit more care. "After I split with you, I ran into one of Viserio's men..."

He lifted a hand to lay a bit of his hair flat, frowning. "Or rather, I ran into exactly one of them. I swear, this building is a maze when you're in a hurry, and not a single person I encountered knew where the nearest of the Count's men would be."

Louise lifted an eyebrow at the comment, looking around herself again. They had passed a pair of maids on their rounds... but again, they hadn't seen a single soldier wandering the halls or posted at a door. She hadn't really been noticing it too much, given that the academy didn't bother with men at arms... but it was odd that it would be so hard to find any of the men.

Perhaps they had already been recalled to start forming up for something else? Or someone had reported seeing Kirche taken without knowing more than that someone had attacked a mage and her familiar?

Guiche continued, frustration still plain in his voice. "The only one who I found claimed that the Count was currently very busy, but that he himself could listen to whatever problem I had. The man looked a bit like he might be a mage knight, other than the outfit he was wearing, so I figured that it was something, even if not as ideal as speaking to the Count or Duchess themselves."

Louise's frown grew a bit as something niggled at her mind. "...His outfit?" she asked, getting a glance at her own armor from the boy.

Still, Guiche nodded. "He looked like he was preparing to go to a ball or something. Finery over some light armor, and a mask to cover his face, showing only his chin and elegantly groomed goatee."

"That... sounds a bit suspicious," Montmorency commented, Louise nodding along. "You don't normally wear a mask in the halls, and I would think we'd have at least heard some gossip about a masquerade going on."

"I agree," Guiche assured them, "and I took note of it. But with no one else anywhere, I could simply tell him of Kirche's kidnapping and our need to have the guard mobilized. On that, at least, he seemed to be understanding. He commiserated that it couldn't be easy getting help here with her as one of our companions, and promised to pass along simply that a noble under the Duchess's protection had been abducted in the city. That he'd be mentioning her eye-catching hair without saying that she was... a Zerbst. I thought it better than nothing, and hurried back to make sure you wouldn't attempt to storm any keeps without me to help serve as vanguard."

"Fair enough," Louise agreed as they made their way down yet another hallway, passing vases under a few paintings, and still no guards. "I have a feeling we'll want everyone we can have, in just a bit."

"I want to know what the Zerbsts did," Montmorency muttered. "Lady Jessamine wasn't shy about showing her disdain of Kirche, and from what you told me, Viserio was if anything even worse."

Louise shook her head as they entered the main hall. "We can ask later, if they're willing to share. For now, let's see what Tabitha has for us."

Indeed, Tabitha was waiting near the doors with a servant she was speaking to with a quiet intensity. The moment she saw the group though, she waved the servant off and advanced with a hurried pace towards them.

"I found them," she stated in a low tone, face set into an intense frown, "but we have some more trouble." She didn't even seem to react to Louise's appearance in her new armor, given the severity of her mood, and of the situation.

Montmorency's eyes widened slightly at the statement. "A complete sentence, all at once? This really must be serious," she said with a light teasing tone and chuckle covering the fainter tone of worry in it.

The attempt at lightening the mood only got her a glare from Tabitha, the girl absolutely not appreciating it right then. Stepping in, Louise did her best to get them back on track, giving the blonde girl an imploring look that had her nodding and stepping back, looking a bit apologetic.

"What's the situation, Tabitha?" Louise asked, voice firm as she met her eyes. For a moment, she saw a flash of emotions that were roiling under the controlled exterior of her friend, before Tabitha started to speak.

"Ms. Carol as been captured too," she reported, words measured and almost clipped. "Held at the same building as Kirche."

Guiche spoke up, grimacing at the news. "That's... not good. She has been one of the only people who's honestly seemed to be on our side, willing to overlook whatever hatred the Zerbsts have earned here. Though it certainly would explain all of the missing soldiers, I suppose."

The comment earned a raised brow from Tabitha, her expression surprised, so he continued quickly. "I was searching for the Count to report Kirche's kidnapping, but was unable to find any of the regulars of the men. The only person I ran into who claimed to be in the chain of command was a masked mage knight. Given how well liked the lovel-" he cut himself off with a quick glance at Montmorency, correcting himself in a hurry. "Er, the lady Carol, that is. Given how well liked she clearly is, her abduction would likely have been noticed and responded to quickly."

Tabitha frowned in response, her expressive pensive, before she looked at Louise for directions.

Taking a breath, and standing firm in her ridiculous armor, Louise looked between each of her friends. All of them were waiting for her, all of them counting on her to lead them. She pushed her worries for Kirche and Carol to the side for the moment, pulling on as much cold calm and calculating anger at the bandits as she could. "If we know where they are, and we can't get any further backup quickly enough, then there's only one thing for it," she stated, chin up and shoulders firmed. "We grab any last weapons we might need, and we move on their location to rescue our friends. If we find any patrols in route, we tell them of Ms. Carol's location, and bring them with us. Otherwise, we show those bandits who they're dealing with."

"We went through Neb's hellish training!" she reminded them, seeing even Montmorency's back straighten a bit. "We have trained for this! We have fought, we have bled, and we have grown strong. We're not going to lose to a bunch of thugs, any more than we faltered against the orcs on the road. And if one of them has the Mountain Cleaver?" She tightened her grip on Raelag's staff, and patted her other hand on Derf's sheathe, setting her expression into one of determination. "Then that just means we end up that much closer to our quest's end when we deal with it. Hit him hard enough, fast enough, and it doesn't even matter how powerful the axe is. It's worthless if he can't even swing it in the first place."

The effect of her words was clear, and she didn't even have to say anything else, before Guiche was rushing to get his own weapons and last minute preparations done, while Montmorency followed to help him suit up for battle.

With that, she was left alone with Tabitha, if only for the moment. The two girls looked at each other, and the rush of emotions under Tabitha's controlled exterior was back.

Louise didn't even think about it before she was laying a hand on Tabitha's shoulder, letting her own mask slip away to meet her look with concerned eyes. Her shoulders slumped a bit under the weight on them, both literal from the armor, and figurative from the stress she was under. "Are you alright?" she asked, speaking just above a whisper.

Tabitha looked to the side for a moment, clearly fighting with herself over it, before she too let her posture relax a little. Stress bled from her, and her eyes shone with unshed tears as she simply shook her head in a sharp motion. "You... aren't either," she stated without any question.

"...Yeah," Louise agreed, giving a wry smile that fell away as quickly as it came. "But with all of this... Kirche has been your friend longer than any of us. As much as I worry for her, as much as I'm trying not to let myself despair? I can hardly imagine how it must be for you."

Louise's hand squeezed gently, trying to give what comfort she could, and just for the moment, Tabitha leaned into the touch. Her head tilted down to the side against the gauntlet, touching her cheek to the cold metal, and she sighed out in absolute exhaustion. "It's... hard," she whispered. "I was able... to see the bandits from above. Used a far sight spell to peer through the windows on the building. She... was right there, but I couldn't just..."

Louise nodded, understanding perfectly. "You couldn't save her on your own. Not with so many around, and the risk of the Mountain Cleaver. We'll get her back though, Tab, I promise." She took a short breath, hesitating, before she had to ask. "How did she look?"

"...Bruised," came the reply. "Bloodied. Tied up and looking... concussed. But awake. Alive."

"Then, knowing Kirche?" Louise continued, giving a small smile. "She'll be up to help us fight the moment we can get a wand or weapon to her. Maybe even before."

It managed to get a small smile from Tabitha, and the both of them felt at least a little bit better. A burden shared was a burden halved, and they had both needed to get some of the weights off of themselves. Just as Louise was starting to move towards the exit of the hall though, Tabitha piped up again, moving alongside her as they both started to compose themselves for what was to come.

"...There was... one other thing, that's been worrying me," Tabitha whispered. She was quiet enough that Louise had to strain to hear her, even as they walked towards Sylphid. "Earlier... Kirche had gone for the cake. And, when we mentioned her... Siesta hesitated. Looked worried. Guilty, maybe."

Louise's eyes snapped up to Tabitha, though seeing her friend looking like she was ready to flinch, yet still determined to say this, Louise forced herself to listen, and to remember. "...I just put it down to the two of them still arguing, and Siesta not really wanting to be, uh, reminded of their fight," she said.

Her mind flashed to the reason for it all, for her confession... and her lack of handling of the fallout. Neb had been telling her that she needed to, but... it was hard, confronting the situation. After how Siesta had reacted, she hadn't been willing to risk the other two being upset by it, and without speaking to at least Kirche and Siesta both, how was she supposed to resolve things between them?

Tabitha nodded, but she still looked worried. "...I had a bad feeling, even before Flame came. There were moments, when it looked like she was fighting herself, on whether to say something. With how they've been acting..." Part of her had to assume the worst, under the situation.

Louise mentally rebelled at Siesta, sweet, kind and brave, having anything to do with Kirche's kidnapping. But she also couldn't fault Tabitha for thinking it was possible. She couldn't even say for sure that there couldn't be any connection.

"Since she said that Kirche was working to find me another surprise, do you think that Kirche was trying to find the bandits for us? Had found a lead and was following it on her own, and told Siesta about it?" Louise asked. "Maybe... asked her not to mention it so it could be a surprise, but when she was taking too long to get back...?"

Tabitha slowly nodded, her lips a tight line. "It's... possible. Or, Kirche could have asked... for backup if she wasn't back soon. Maybe... delayed, to avoid ruining your party, thinking Kirche would be fine. But... the bandits aren't known... for paralytic poisons."

And that was the crux of her worry. The main reason that she thought something might honestly be wrong with Siesta. It was something that, brought to her attention, Louise couldn't dismiss. Flame had been poisoned, apparently with a knife, but not killed. She didn't want to think that Siesta could possibly betray them, not really. But the bandits would have killed Flame if he hadn't found some way to escape before the poison took him down. Instead, he had been able to recover enough to stagger back to them after who knew how long.

But for the same reason she couldn't see Siesta betraying them to the bandits, she also couldn't see Siesta willingly killing Flame, even if she had wanted him out of the way for some reason. Siesta had learned to kill when it was needed, when Louise ordered her to, but that was for someone who they both had hated, or when their lives were in danger. Siesta had too kind a heart to be able to kill anyone she really knew, and who had treated her well.

Including a familiar, thanks to Neb making sure that she could never see them as simply animals. It painted a picture that she wanted with all her heart to deny. She was sure that she'd find the far more reasonable explanations once they met back up with Siesta and Neb, likely already at the bandit's hideout, looking for a way in. Or once the fighting was over. She was sure... but it didn't stop her from feeling like she had a hole opening in her gut.

Looking at Tabitha again, Louise could see the worry, even a trace of fear in her eyes for having told this to Louise. Not fear of Louise, but a fear of her reaction. A fear of rejection and failure that Louise knew all too well for herself. She nodded, impulsively pulling Tabitha right up against Sylphid where they were better hidden from view by the dragon's wing. "Thank you for coming to me, and trusting me," she said, before quickly wrapping her arms around Tabitha.

With the armor in the way, the hug wasn't all that warm, and it wasn't soft and comfortable. But even so, after stiffening for a split second, Tabitha seemed to melt forward against her, clinging to her. They separated, and Louise couldn't help but look at Tabitha's lips, before glancing back into her eyes. She stepped back from Tabitha, giving a smile she hoped didn't look as brittle as it felt.

"Lead us to them and support us from above until we're ready to go in. We'll do this, and we'll bring everyone back in once piece," she promised again, before turning to look for Guiche and Montmorency finally making their way out at a hurried pace.

For just a moment, Louise hated herself. Even after the problems that had come up from her admitting her feelings, Louise had been so very, very tempted to lean in and just kiss Tabitha there. She was already responsible for damaging their group's dynamic enough with how she told Siesta about her feelings; she couldn't be responsible for the same with Tabitha.

Especially not by kissing her, loving her... and then breaking her heart by revealing how indecisive her own still was. No, she wouldn't do that again. Once they had Kirche back, she'd speak with Siesta, and then sit down with Kirche to help clear the air between the two of them.

And... she'd have to figure out where to go from there, though part of her was telling her that she couldn't make anything beyond friendship work with any of the girls she had fallen in love with. Not really. Not without ruining everything just like she had always failed at everything important she attempted before she summoned Neb.

Behind her, as Louise made one last check over the other two of their group, Tabitha pulled herself up to Sylphid's back, patting her neck while hiding a faint blush. The dragon trilled back at her, the sound soft in the courtyard, and she simply shook her head before reaching down to grip the spear she had fastened to her Familiar's gear. The bandits who had taken her friend, and who were causing such pain and worry for Louise... she would not let any of them hurt her friends anymore. They would fall before her, by frozen spears, cold steel, or by dragon fang and talon.

 _-Siesta-_

The two guards looked down at her where she lay limp on the street, talking in a hushed tone. Siesta could hear them, of course, but her mind didn't process anything of what they were saying. She was... awake, but only in the most technical of senses.

Everything still felt like it was in a haze, her mind burning in the heat and stifling pressure of everything in her life having fallen to pieces in a single moment. But then, that wasn't quite right; it was more going up in flames, just like the ones she had braved not too long ago. She had laid the tinder herself, the past few days. Struck the sparks over the morning and afternoon. And then found herself surprised when it caught alight and burned her, spreading to everything in reach without restraint, too quickly for her to possibly stop or slow.

Perhaps, it was her punishment for looking above her station. She knew that Louise would chide her for saying something like that, but it was what oh so many other nobles would surely tell her. It was the natural order of the world she had grown up in, after all: The commoners were below the nobles, and it was a gap that neither side would ever dare cross in full.

She had let herself fall in love with her mistress, allowed herself to think she deserved the love that Louise had told her she felt in return... and then reacted poorly to finding out that it was one more thing she had to share with the nobility. Kirche wasn't actually all that bad, even if she had certainly been horrible to Louise at the academy for their first year or so. Tabitha had never done anything wrong to Siesta, Louise, or anyone else that she knew of. Both of them had welcomed Siesta into their group when Louise and Neb brought her into it. Both of them had shown her, a commoner, camaraderie.

Yet all she had been able to think about was that she had been blessed with everything she ever wanted from Louise's confession, only to have it violently stolen by a pair of cruel nobles who wouldn't let a commoner have anything good to herself. Had it been another maid who had caught Louise's eye as well, she'd have become determined to win out, but she would have kept it to just that – a competition. Or, at least, so she liked to tell herself.

But none of her stories had had the confession followed in such a way. A noble loving a commoner was, after all, something that only happened in her romances. The stories she read to escape the day to day as a maid, to escape the fear that one of the boys at the academy would take an interest in her that wasn't returned, and that was far less pure. The confession came after someone had already won the heart of their love, though. Not only to be told that they had two others who they would have to win out against.

And so, she had resented two people who had been slowly bridging the divide nearly as much as Louise to call her friend. She had snapped at them, spat at their attempts to work with her, and seethed in jealous rage. She had honestly already been starting to find her center again, to get her feet back under her after having the rug pulled out from under her... and then the bandits had happened.

Her memory of the event played again and again, of seeing those men, Kirche already unable to fight back. All of them armed, six against one in a dark alley, and her armed only with a small handful of knives and not a lick of armor. All they'd have needed to do would be to get a good grip on her, or a single well placed blow with all of the strength they could bring behind it... and she'd have joined Kirche. She had been scared, she had been terrified... and they had told her to walk away.

She imagined fighting them, rushing forward and taking down three or four before one caught her in her blind spot... and then being raped and killed after while Kirche watched. She imagined fleeing to try to find the others... and everyone rushing out to try to find them, searching and assaulting the bandits to save Kirche, and being met with another sea of flames consuming the city around them.

She imagined herself following them, spying on them to find their hideout, find all of their numbers, the blind spots they could use, and then sneaking in to get Kirche out. Being praised by everyone and thanked. Kissed by Louise. She imagined bringing the others for a calculated strike, with Neb nodding his approval.

She should have done things differently, she knew. She simply hadn't been able to think, hadn't been able to see what she should do. And, to her eternal shame, it wasn't just fear that had blinded her in that moment. It was that horrible, seductive promise that she just had to do nothing. That if she just turned the other way, she'd have everything she wanted. If Flame hadn't been there, she wasn't sure if she'd have been able to pull herself away from that promise or not, but the moment he startled her, ran from her, she had reacted and sealed her fate.

There was no where she could go, from here. Nothing left for her. There were only what ifs, memories, and self-recriminations that she'd likely be hounded by 'til her dying day.

She hadn't even noticed when she had been put down on a bed, but a cold cloth against her forehead was finally enough to pull her from the depths of her mind, blinking her eyes open against the flickering light of a lamp. Beside her, an older maid sat with a bucket of water.

"Well, welcome back to us, Deary," the woman said, brightening on seeing Siesta's eyes open. "Was worried that you were hurt worse than you looked, when you weren't waking up there."

"W-where?" Siesta replied, before remembering. The castle, of course. But where were the others?

"Your friends are off, hunting the bastards who took your other companion, and abducted Lady Carol," the maid answered, catching Siesta off guard. She hadn't even realized she had asked the last question out loud.

She shook her head, forcing herself up against a wave of dizziness. A hand pressed back at her, forcing her back down with surprising strength, and she relented with a tired sigh, before looking at the woman. "What's going on? How long have I been out?" she asked, desperate for information, and for something to focus on other than her own thoughts.

"Ah, so much excitement going around, lately." The woman moved over to her bucket, scooping out some water in a ladle for Siesta to drink as she spoke. The cold nearly burned down her throat, pulling her a bit more to full wakefulness, and Siesta finally took note of the woman's kindly brown eyes, and graying hair. "First we have all the guards moving around, and we hear that there's been an abduction. Then we hear there's been two of them in the same day! And everyone's out but Her Grace's own personal guard, stretched out all about."

The woman nodded, looking both worried and a tad excited. "Count Viserio himself gathered all the men he could, gave the most rousing speech we've heard from him in ages, and set out to find and retrieve Lady Carol the moment he got word of her having gone missing. But, of course, they're having to scour the city – your friend on the dragon apparently found where they were though, and all your friends were off before anyone could hardly notice. My cousin's daughter overheard a bit of it and saw them rushing out after gearing up as though for war, you see!"

Siesta's blood went cold. Where the horror of being caught, and of everything spiraling away from her control had felt like fire that poured smoke in her head, this was a fear that shocked her enough to chase the last vestiges of haze from her mind. When she bolted up this time, there was no dizzy spell, and she lifted her own hand to meet the older maid's and press it back down, without letting herself be shoved back to rest.

Eyes meeting the woman's with an intensity that clearly unnerved her a bit, Siesta felt herself all but quivering. "They left before I got back?"

Without Neb?

"Well, yes."

The answer had her suddenly worrying far more for Louise, her early worries of her... of her Lady charging in with fire in her eyes and on plan all coming back to the surface. She would have waited for Neb... if she had known he would be returning. But he hadn't told her of his suspicions of Siesta, and they had been looking to find the bandit's hideout when they left. They'd likely be expecting backup to already be nearby!

Still... she found herself slumping. There wasn't anything she could do about it now. If she tried to follow, chances were that Neb would make good on his threat the moment he saw her on the battlefield, or that the others would have already heard from him that she had betrayed them. It didn't matter why, or that she hadn't been trying to. Nothing mattered but that she had delayed them, held them back from rushing to Kirche's side as quickly as they could.

She felt a hand patting her own, and looked back up into the kind, worried eyes of the woman. "Now, now. I'm sure that a bunch of bandits won't be a match for nobles, let alone with the soldiers on the lookout, too. And... as quickly as they left, I'm sure they'll reach your other friend in time."

"...In time?" she asked, caught off guard by the woman's assumption she was worried for Kirche. She... supposed that was natural, but... "Kirche should be fine though, shouldn't she? They want to ransom her, so they wouldn't do anything." Her own tone was a bit uncertain, but she was also saying something that everyone knew.

You just... didn't hurt a captive noble, unless you were yourself a noble. Ransoming someone back would have you a wanted criminal, but harming one in your captivity would have the entire nobility baying for blood, and hunting you down! Even war prisoners were generally treated fairly enough, that they could be traded for others of the same, and that both side's nobles could expect surrender to mean a slightly uncomfortable stay in a dungeon until they were ransomed back, at worst. It was just one more unfair advantage they kept for themselves, as commoners were generally killed even if they surrendered in war, not being worth enough to ransom to warrant holding them.

Yet... the older maid's face grew a bit grim. "Perhaps, in ordinary circumstances. But with brigands who clearly don't fear the nobles like they should? If they only worry for their money, and not their lives after getting it, they'll likely not restrain themselves past keeping someone alive. And with your friend being... with how she presents herself and looks..." she let the comment hang in the air, clearly not wanting to say that Kirche dressed as much like a whore as a noble could possibly get away with.

The ice was back, creeping through Siesta's veins. Her mouth was dry, her saliva having clearly frozen from the cold in her heart. Her face must have looked as pale as a corpse, with how the woman was quickly moving to pat her hands and reassure her again. "That's why I told you not to worry, Deary," she repeated to Siesta. "They left just so quickly, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Except, they hadn't. She had made sure of that, hadn't she? By not telling them, but covering for her absence for as long as she did... Siesta had delayed them by hours with that, hadn't she?

Suddenly, the thoughts of Louise rushing into danger, possibly being hurt or killed, were joined by a bruised, beaten, and utterly defeated looking Kirche. Even though she might have wanted to see her rival for Louise dejected, jealous and defeated as she was forced to give her up to Siesta... the idea of a Kirche who was so utterly beaten and quietly hurt was wrong. Someone as lively as Kirche shouldn't ever look like that, and no one should have to endure something like that.

Her own fears of what the men had promised for her, before she had turned away from Kirche's cries for help, suddenly flooded back – but with a different face on the girl being used and crushed. And who was to say they wouldn't hold her hostage against Louise and the others? Force them to surrender themselves with a knife, or the very axe they were chasing, against Kirche's throat? And then all of the others would suffer the same-!

She felt bile in her throat joining the ice, and she pulled herself out of bed. She was glad she was already dressed, because there was no way in hell she was going to be staying somewhere safe while that happened. Still, she quickly schooled her expression, looking to her caretaker.

"Miss, I think I've quite recovered for the moment, but I am absolutely famished," she said demurely, giving a small bow. "Could you please go get me something? Twas only a fainting spell brought on by shock that laid me out, on discovering what had happened, after all." The lie rolled off easily, and the maid, a commoner like her and certainly no warrior, seemed to think it perfectly natural.

"Well, I'm glad you're looking better, Dear. But I want you to promise me you'll lay right back down if you start feeling dizzy again while I'm gone." She hesitated a moment, before nodding. "I know that you may not want to stay sitting when you're so worried though. Pacing might not do anything but let you move, but sometimes, that's all you can do."

She was wrong, but Siesta didn't correct her, simply smiling while waving the woman out. The second the door was closed, she took stock. She was in a room with a window, luckily, so she wouldn't have to worry about escaping if the guard tried to keep her inside. And she knew where all of her equipment was, as long as no one had moved it. She was moving already, simply skipping asking the guard to slip out and test the walls.

They were smooth for the most part, of course, shaped by magic as they were. But the ledges and decorations abounded, and time and weather had left some areas rough enough for her to grip. She was out into the cool night air in an instant, moving down towards the courtyard, and the normal entrance where she could just be one more person in a rush during a crisis. Somehow, all of the confusion from earlier had finally crystallized for her into a clear idea.

She had ruined her chances to be with Louise, of course. But she still wanted the one person who had shown faith in her and giving her so much more than she could have ever expected to be happy. She didn't want to see Louise hurt, she didn't want to see her cry. And, that meant that she had to make sure that not only Louise was safe, but that Tabitha and Kirche were to. If they were hurt... she wasn't sure what it would do to Louise.

Besides which, she wouldn't let her last actions as Louise's servant be betraying her trust and ruining everything for her. She wouldn't let her actions force anyone to go through what she now feared Kirche was facing. Especially not someone who had remembered that she liked cinnamon, and made sure to get a cinnamon loaf along with the gingerbread for Louise's party. Someone who, now that she wasn't trying to see a rival, Siesta was realizing she saw as very nearly a friend in her own right. It wasn't like they were rivals anymore, after all, now that Siesta had ensured she had no chance with anyone. It would be a miracle if she wasn't thrown in prison or executed for attacking Flame, and concealing the kidnapping. So... that just left Kirche as someone who she had done wrong by, and who had been kind to her. Someone she needed to make things right with, even if it killed her.

 _Ch. End_

 **O.M.G**

 **I am so sorry ladies and gentlemen, this chapter and the previous are _long_ overdue. I hope you can all forgive us for the wait, we've just been so busy. It's no excuse, but we enjoy working on this story and hope that everyone still enjoys reading it.**

 **Thank you all for staying with us and we hope to have you on to the end.**

 **Have a wonderful holiday season everyone and Happy New Years!**

 **(Note from NPC: The original chapter included the fight with the bandits. However, as it was expanding into a behemoth during edits/rewriting, the chapter has been split into two. We hope to have the big fight finished and satisfying soon!)**


	23. Rescue

**I won't even bother trying to apologize for how late this is, it wouldn't help.**

 **All I can do is give this chapter to you and hope it makes up for even a bit of the wait.**

 **Thank you for sticking with us.**

 _Rescue_

Sylphid's wings flapped hard to the side, the air rushing around the group as Tabitha kept a weak spell up to prevent it from drowning out speech. Not that there was much to say yet, they didn't know what they were going to see below them. As they flew over the warehouse Tabitha had seen though, Louise's face fell a bit.

"...Take us down, Tabitha," she requested, gripping tight as they pitched forward, and the ground rushed to meet them. Sylphid landed on the ground in one of the more open areas, and they dismounted, weapons ready as they looked around, just in case. But there was no one waiting for them.

Scorch marks covered a few walls, and some crates were burned half-way through, and drops of blood stained the alley's walls and street. There were plenty of signs of the bandits having been here... but no longer. No captured women for them to save.

Louise kicked one of the crates, a burnt board giving way and snapping with the metallic blow of armor. "Founder, why!?" she asked, holding herself back from using some of Nebs more inventive curses. "Where are they? Why did they leave?"

Montmorency glanced around, reaching into a pouch at her waist to pull her frog out while Guiche dismounted. Tabitha, already on the ground, walked over to lay a hand on Louise's shoulder, fingers tight as she looked about as well. "...Look," she said, pointing near the blood.

On one of the crates, there were scratch marks, clearly from claws rather than steel. Along with the fire... "Flame," Louise realized, feeling sick. "Flame found them first."

Clearly, the Salamander hadn't waited for backup before trying to save his master. Whatever had happened to him, though, the bandits had survived and moved, making sure that they wouldn't be caught in the same place if anyone was following him.

He had been supposed to be with Siesta and Neb though! And that thought just about drove the breath from Louise's lungs with worry, eyes feeling a bit too wide. What if Siesta had been captured too? Or killed? And what had happened to Neb? Frantically, she tried to feel for him, for her link to him, wondering if she could possibly be so horrible a master that she wouldn't even notice as her own familiar was attacked-

No, she could feel him. She could feel a faint press of his presence in her mind, in her magic, and got the impression of determination. Of rushing and trying to make it somewhere in time. She blinked her eyes back open, only realizing that she had closed them in the first place after the fact. Tabitha was at her side, shoulder under her arm.

"You alright?" Tabitha whispered, looking worried.

"Y-yeah," she replied, trying to organize her thoughts. Everyone was looking to her to lead them here, after all. She needed to figure out what they needed to do. What they even could do. "I... was just trying to make sure that I could feel Neb still. I don't think he was with Flame, when this happened. So they must have separated for some reason. Maybe the alleys were too tight for him and he was having to take a less direct route... or was going back to get us." She brought her hand up to her forehead, before wincing at the too-hard slap of metal. She really needed to get used to that.

"Ah!" Montmorency's voice called out in surprise. "Robin found something; come, over here!" The blonde waved for the others, picking her frog back up from the ground to slip in a pouch for safety. No one dallied in rushing over, and soon enough, Montmorency had everyone's attention on her.

She reached over to the wall's rough brick at one of the alley entrances... and plucked a long red hair from it. There was a sharp intake of breath from both Tabitha and Louise, as Guiche stepped forward, running his hand along the wall, glancing around until he found another further down. He plucked it, turning to look back at the girls with a determined set to his eyes. "She left us a trail."

That was simply... so very, very Kirche, Louise found herself thinking, expression seemingly unable to settle between grim and amused. Even in her situation, she was finding a way to lead them to her. She wasn't giving up on them, because she knew that they'd find her, and free her. Louise finally firmed her gaze, stepping forward with a confident stride. "Well then... we're not going to let her efforts go to waste. Let's go – they won't be expecting anyone to catch up with them so quickly, and they won't have themselves properly settled in yet, even if they had already prepared their new hideout for a fallback point."

The other three all gave nods, Sylphid trilling softly behind them. "Monmon, your familiar can find the trail?" Louise asked, even as Tabitha started walking back to mount back up. At a nod from the blonde, Louise motioned to Guiche. "Be on our back and ready to defend, and I'll take the front with Monmon. Tabitha is going to be watching from above, ready to provide cover, and I'm probably the most likely to survive a surprise attack. Wait until we need them to summon your Valkyries though – I want us all fresh for the fight, and I don't want to give away anything we can do if we're spotted early. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" he responded, saluting sharply. His hand moved to his sword at his side, gripping the blade in one hand while his other tightened against his wand.

It took only moments for her to make sure that everyone was ready before heading down to follow the trail. They'd already been prepared for battle before, but now most of their number would be on foot, to follow the trail. Even so, their basic plan didn't need much in the way of changes. They set off, determined to see things through not only quickly, but properly – there would be no beginner mistakes from them here.

It didn't stop curiosity from nagging at Louise as they walked. She didn't recall if frogs had a good sense of smell or sight, let alone fine enough to pick out the fine red hairs forming the trail. It would have to be a thought for another time, as the trail began to lead them through a dizzying series of turns.

The buildings were otherwise silent, as were the streets, so every slight sound made the group flinch. If the bandits were smart, they'd have set sentries or a rearguard to make sure no one was following them.

Louise spied a slight disturbance in the air as they reached a fork in the street, a piece of straw rising and falling six times in a set pattern before circling.

 _Six sentries, three just after the building on the left and three at the end of the street. Ambush to stall and runners to warn the others._

Louise brought her staff around in a circle before tapping the ground. A near silent whoosh of air signaled Tabitha climbing further into the air and making for the end of the street. Louise didn't inform Montmorency and Guiche of the coming ambush, but her magic was at the ready.

"The trail goes to the left." Montmorency muttered as she started down the street. "I do hope we arrive soon. The less time they have to get ready, the better off we are."

Louise almost smirked as they passed into the ambush, the three bandits leaping from the shadows with blades drawn and voices roaring. A bolt of arcane energy fled her staff and slammed into her attacker, sending him crashing to the ground. Winded, the bandit could do nothing as Louise planted her boot into his back and ran him through.

Guiche drew his blade just in time to intercept his attacker, the bandit grunting in surprise. Gucihe took advantage of the confusion to push the bandit's blade aside and send his knee flying. The bandit coughed as the blow connected but gargled as a hastily summoned golem's blade slit his throat.

Montmorency ducked the axe coming her way and tackled the bandit, her arming sword shooting out to stab him several times. A thrust from the golem put the bandit down for good.

Guiche and Montmorency panted, the adrenaline fading slowly. They'd gone on pure instinct, but the horror of their actions would have to come later.

Spikes of ice the size of a man raining on the other end of the street followed by a dragon swooping from the sky made for a potent distraction.

Louise ran to the end of the street, pausing at what she saw. "Tabitha…?"

The tell-tale shimmer of a wide-area silencing spell was in the air all around, but Louise couldn't help the tightening in her chest at the carnage that lay therein. Two of the runners were staked to the ground by ice, their throats torn open by Sylphid, while the last kneeled before Tabitha.

Tabitha had a look of cold hatred, the frown and narrowed eyes the most serious anyone had seen her. In fact, Montmorency and Guiche had to swallow bile when they joined Louise and saw the results of Tabitha's attack.

"Please… I've told you everything… let me go…"

That voice came from the bandit, wheezing breaths the only other sign of life. Tabitha put an end to that when her spear shot forward and entered his chest, the bandit falling limp instantly. "…Not after what you've done…"

Tabitha pulled out the spear and turned to find the others a little green. "…Don't have time, come."

Louise snapped out of her reverie and stormed up to Tabitha, grabbing her arm and dragging the girl away in a cacophony of clanging armor and protests.

"Tabitha, what the hell was that? We agreed when Neb started coaching us in spars that we'd go for quick kills only, not smashing people under ice and interrogating the survivors!"

Tabitha looked away, clearly frustrated. "I will do what I must… we can't waste time running in blind."

"I understand that." Louise sighed. "But if you hadn't cast that silence barrier, we'd be in big trouble! I know you're worried for Kirche, we all are, but we can't make mistakes! If we let our worry get the better of us, it'll be our necks. I don't want any more friends to get hurt, especially from carelessness."

Louise sagged and gestured to the ice. "That, and who knows if those were the only sentries? The amount of ice you used was bound to catch someone's attention if they so much as glanced this way, not to mention how much willpower you used."

Tabitha had no reasonable answer for that. All she could do was let her shoulder's droop and curse her haste. "…I just… I want my friends to be safe…"

Louise smiled and laid a hand on Tabitha's arm. "We'll see to it, you know that. All I ask is that we be patient and do this right, if only so we don't get hurt doing something stupid."

"That would hurt me more than any injury I could be given."

Tabitha glanced up at Louise, a small smile breaking through. "…Alright then. I'll be careful and more restrained from here on."

Louise clapped her arm and nodded. "Good, let's go then. Kirche's bound to be waiting for us, and if luck's on our side, she's annoyed them into releasing her."

Tabitha gave Louise a flat stare.

"What? I couldn't think of anything better."

Tabitha let herself grin before going back to Sylphid and taking to the sky once more. Louise watched her go then gathered Guiche and Montmorency. Once everyone was in order, they continued down the street.

After another few twists and turns, Robin popped out of Montmorency's pocket and croaked several times. "Wait, the trail ends up ahead!"

The stopped on a dime and hurried into an alley. While Guiche signaled for Tabitha to join them, Louise peaked around the corner to observe their destination. "Hm… it looks like any old warehouse."

"Probably why they chose it." Montmorency mumbled as Robin returned to his pocket. "Anyone else would walk right by without a second glance."

Louise hummed, but turned when she heard Tabitha jog up. "Did you land further away?"

"Sylphid's three streets back." Tabitha said, grip tightening on her staff. "Lens."

The air stirred and coalesced into a disc of air, the magic acting as a telescope. The others crowded around the disk, studying the images it presented. By the looks of things, there were no sentries stationed outside and there was party inside if the lit windows meant anything.

Tabitha focused on one of the windows, the image shifting to the interior. "Those… animals…"

Louise scowled, the image showing the bandits laughing and drinking with abandon. There was no sound, but they saw Kirche being forced to walk around in some fetishized maid uniform and serve ale to the bandits. She looked more than annoyed, and wandless, but at least her worst injuries were a cut lip and some bruising.

"Why is she not bound?" Guiche wondered. "She's the most skilled among us at fighting off groups. You'd think she'd have beaten them blue and run off the moment most weren't looking."

Montmorency worked her jaw. "Flame, it has to be. If they didn't kill the poor beast, then they have him locked up somewhere. No mage worth their salt would leave a familiar behind, least of all someone like Kirche."

"Kirche's our priority." Louise stated, words hard. "Flame's secondary, cruel as it sounds. I know she'd be devastated to lose him though, especially if it was to save her. Threatening his safety's probably how they're keeping her in line."

Montmorency growled. "There's no other way. Flame's her baby, has been since she summoned him. No one save you and Neb have so close a relationship, and I for one don't want to see that end."

Guiche proceeded to gush about his fiancé's empathy, but Louise was more focused on the bandit's numbers and positions. "It looks like a lot of them are sloshed. Most are on the ground floor and next to the main doors too."

"Distraction," Tabitha said, reading Louise's mind. "Golems to the front, Guiche and Montmorency from the side. They can watch to see if the any of the sober ones run off."

"And grab Flame, keep us in line." Guiche finished, his praises stopping on a dime. "I'll keep those low-lives busy then. Monmon, can you take care of Flame?"

Montmorency patted her sword. "If I see the bandits run in the right direction, sure. Um… shouldn't we wait for Neb and Siesta first?"

"That would be wisest." Louise agreed. "Unfortunately, Neb's not exactly subtle. Right now, we have them drunk, unaware, and with their trousers down. If Tabitha and I go in from the top, we can catch them in a three-pronged attack. That and… if they have the axe with them, going in as one group won't end well."

Everyone shuddered, but Tabitha regained her focus and adjusted the lens until she found a point of entry. "The stairs on the far right, that's our entrance. Guiche, Montmorency, you'll be using the side door on the left. Guiche, once your golems are ready, signal us. We'll tell you when to charge."

Guiche immediately set to work on his golems, the familiar Valkyries rising from the earth in all their splendor. Guiche was able to make seven of the things now and coordinate them as a unit, his own skill with a blade making the 'pop-up squad' scarily effective.

With their plan decided, Tabitha and Louise traveled down the alley and exited on another street, their path taking them to the stairs with all due care. It was especially nerve-wracking for Louise as it felt like every move made her armor clang like a church bell. She was sure the bandits could hear everything.

But, none attempted to stop them, not even the door at the top locked. Praising the Founder for his curse of ignorance on the bandits, the girls slipped inside and made their way to the lone door with light peeking through the seams.

As they grew closer, they could hear the bandits singing a drunken tune, not one of them able to carry a tune in their drunkenness. They also heard several off-color jokes that made their faces grow red with anger and embarrassment. Crude beasts the lot of them.

One voice was louder than the others, Louise able to hear him only when they were right next to the door. "Ah, this is the life eh boys? Yeah, that lizard gave us a scare, but who cares? We'll be rich before long and even richer after those idiots in Germania find themselves the owner of stolen taxes. War's always paid me right, ain't that right boys?!"

The bandits cheered in answer, Louise's vision growing red at the edges. These monsters wanted to start a war between Tristain and Germania to make money, no matter the many lives that would be ruined in such an event.

She bit her tongue as the blanket bearing the burnt child crossed her mind, the pain holding her back. "Tabihta… when you're ready."

Tabitha nodded and pushed the door open just enough to create another lens. She could see Guiche and Montmorency in position on the lower floor, the pair glancing around for the signal. In addition, Kirche was on the top floor with what could only be the bandit's leader, especially with that axe on his back.

"And that maid, am I right? Little girl played right into our hands and she never even knew it!"

That shout made the girls look at each other. What did Siesta have to do with this, specifically? They'd been suspecting something, but this…

Louise shook her head, they'd find out later. "On my mark."

Tabitha grew stoic and waved her staff, a scrap of cloth floating through the door on a breeze. The scrap was small, almost too small to notice, but Tabitha made it float to the space over the ground floor and twist through the air in a set pattern.

Her lens showed Guiche nodding, the ground floor pair silently drawing their blades. All of them were still, waiting for the right time to move.

Then one of the drunkards flopped to the ground, causing the bandits to burst into laughter.

And the doors followed.

 _-Guiche-_

Truly, it was beautiful to see a plan go into motion.

The horrid knaves had never expected an attack, let alone one led by golems wielding a wide variety of weapons. The drunks nearest the main doors had barely shouted before the golems laid into them, blunt ends and shafts sending the bandits to dreamland.

Those further away were able to draw their swords and one ran off with the speed of a sober man. Guiche pointed to him as he fled the warehouse. "That one goes to Flame! I shall hold these dastards my dear, have at the coward!"

Montmorency glowered at him, whips of water flying out to trip the drunks and the few alert enough to respond. "Not with this many you dolt! He's already gone too, I won't catch him! Let me make these jerks lives hell, that'll make up for it!"

Her wand shot forward and sent a stream of water into a group of bandits stumbling towards them, the drunkards sent tumbling back into the wall from the force.

Guiche sighed before dodging a sloppy strike and smacking the bandit with the flat of his blade. As that one crumpled to the ground, Guiche gave the situation a once over. "There's actually quite a few no?"

Montmorency sent a whip of water across the ground, a few stray bandits tripping on the water. The Valkyries took care of them, but the rest had formed groups that weren't so easy to flank.

"This'll be fun," Guiche mumbled as he took up his hard earned stance. The Valkyries joined their master and formed a wedge, Montmorency taking up position in the center.

Guiche hummed as the bandits advanced. "Should I try to give an inspirational call to battle? Something worthy of my name?"

"Shut it and concentrate!" Montmorency snapped, another lance of water forming on her wand. "The shock's worn off!"

A blast from the upper floor punctuated that point, Guiche frowning at the noise.

 _Be safe girls, Neb will have my hide if you get hurt._

He sighed through his nose and pointed his wand at the bandits. "Valkyries, charge!"

 _-Louise-_

They burst through the door at the same time as the Valkyries, their weapons taking down the two closest bandits immediately. Two more tried to charge them, but they tripped over themselves and were swiftly taken out too.

The rest were far soberer and quickly grouped, a large man with a head ay too small for his body laughing in the back of the mob. Kirche stood next to him, a knife held to her throat by one of the mooks.

"Come on you rats!" The large man shouted. "Those are the Germanian's friends! Get them and we won't even need the war!"

The bandits roared in response, charging the two girls with greed in their eyes.

Louise shook her head. "Endurance, Divine Strength."

The blessings took hold of both girls, Louise expending enough willpower for both. The first bandit brought his sword down on Louise's pauldron, only for the cheap steel to snap against the enchanted plate.

Louise pulled back and socked him, the blow sending the bandit flying to land on the floor below.

Tabitha caught her attacker's strike on her spear, the hardened wood deflecting the steel. The butt of the spear came around in a wide swing that met the man's ribs, sick cracks filling the air on connection. The man fell to the ground, howling in pain as blood spattered onto his chin and the floor.

The rest backed off, hesitant to try and attack the girls. They may be mages, but that lot couldn't punch grown men into next week or shatter ribs without magic, right?

The large man scowled, a flaming axe coming from his back. Without a word, he swung the blade, an arc of fire and ember shooting forward and cleaving a line in the floor while consuming the hesitating bandits.

As the fire shot forward, Tabitha summoned a wall of ice that Louise added to with her own ice bolt. It was a good deal smaller than anything Tabitha could make, but as it flew forward and evaporated instantly, Louise knew what to do.

She jumped aside, Tabitha following her lead as the murderous fire shot past them and blew a hole in the wall. Both stared at the ruined wall before looking back to find a charred line in the floor and the blackened bodies of the bandits. Apparently, this guy wasn't messing around.

"Ah, that got your attention." The leader sneered. "That's right, Dane Fire Axe is something better than you or any of these rats, it's only right I get my money! I've burned towns to ash and destroyed battalions by myself, no aid at all! Why, I've even taken down more than a few bumbling nobles at that!"

He laughed, the axe in his hand blazing away. "In fact, I don't even need to be afraid of you little things! So you can throw a punch, big deal, with this thing I could fight the 'Heavy Wind' herself! I can just imagine the fame and fortune from such a victory now…"

He licked his chops, glee doubling at Louise's enraged face. "Oh, you want to fight girly? Well, why don't you peek out that hole there? Maybe that'll change your mind."

Louise didn't look away, but Tabitha glanced back only to glower. "Louise, one of them has Flame. Sword to his neck."

Louise snarled and glanced back. Indeed, there was Flame, the poor salamander bruised and bloodied with some smug dastard pressing a sword to his neck.

"Dumb nobles," Dane laughed. "You lot care far too much for a bunch of animals. That thing barely put up a fight before I knocked it out. One blow too!"

He laughed again, and Louise looked to the man holding Kirche. By his exasperated look, that didn't happen at all and Dane was just stroking his own ego.

"I don't even have to threaten the Germanian!" Dane continued. "You care so much about that pet lizard… even a little threat makes you give up! Spineless idiots the lot of you!"

He continued to laugh, the axe waving to and fro. Somehow, no further flame left the blade, even as it passed by a great deal of kindling.

Louise though, felt anger not her own flood her mind. Looking back outside, she grinned an impish grin. "You sure you have that card?"

Dane stopped laughing and looked to her as if she were insane. Before he could try and gloat again though, he caught sight of a shadow shift behind the bandit holding Flame. "Lars, what's going on out there?"

The bandit looked around, nerves replacing his smug air. "I uh, don't know boss. Everything's quiet, but I think something's-"

He didn't finish as Neb's head raced from the shadows and bit deeply into his side. The head hauled the screaming bandit into the air before another head came forward and latched onto the other side. Both heads yanked and pulled, Lars screaming for all he was worth, until the heads pulled him apart with a wet tear.

Louise felt a shudder pass down her spine, but Tabitha used the distraction to charge Dane, the bandit dodging her strikes if just barely. He responded with swings from the axe, waves of fire rolling out to try and roast Tabitha alive.

Louise pushed her revulsion aside and joined the assault, Derflinger slurping up the flames just enough to keep Louise from getting fried when Dane turned his attention to her.

The bandit was no push over though. Even as Neb burst through the ruined main doors and began snapping up the remaining bandits, the bandit leader kept swinging.

"You couldn't hit a castle with those things!" He cried, a swing making Louise and Tabitha retreat. "Then again, it would take Brimir himself to so much as scratch me, so who am I to judge your piddling attempts? Maybe a toddler's more your style!"

Louise growled and charged again, side stepping a wave of fire and slashing at him. Dane scrambled to dodge, but Louise was able to nick his clothes. Unfortunately, she was close enough that Dane's fist was able to ram into her forehead, the blow making her stumble away.

Tabitha charged in, rapid thrusts driving Dane away from Louise. Her efforts were met with three waves of fire, the heat enough to blister her skin as it passed and make her cloak smoke.

"You just don't get it do you?" Dane bellowed after the dance repeated itself a few more times. "I'm Dane Fire-Axe, the best bandit in Halkegenia! I didn't get that title by being stupid like you bunch of tarts!"

He gestured to the corner of the floor, the bandit holding Kirche rising form his hiding spot with the blade dug a little deeper into her neck. "B-back off or the b-bitch gets it!"

"Kirche!" Louise cried, eyes tracking the rivulet of blood that railed down Kirche's neck. She was so worried that she barely dodged another stream of flame, the heat from the axe keeping them at length, even after all the charges.

As Louise silently cursed the burning armor that was blistering her skin, Dane grinned wide. "I always got a trump card, and this here's one you damned fools forgot about. You never had a chance from the start, not with you caring about this damn Germanian. Now, be good little nobles and drop you weapons, wands and staffs too."

Louise and Tabitha glanced at each other. Neb wouldn't make a move with Kirche at risk and too far away for him to help effectively. Guiche and Montmorency wouldn't be able to join them in time either, not with a few bandits still on the ground floor.

"Yes, drop them." Dane chuckled, an insane glint in his eyes. "We'll have all kinds of fun afterwards. I know how to have a good time and I can show all you noble girls what the wild side is like. I've always wanted my own harem, and it's truly fate's hand to have delivered one to me so tidily… oh yes."

He sounded inordinately pleased with himself, almost orgasmic. Louise was ready to show just what she thought of that idea, namely implode the son of a bitch, but she had Kirche to worry about and using any of those spells was likely to injure her too.

Then, a flicker of movement caught her eye, a shadow dancing across the roof beams.

Right towards Kirche.

Louise felt a smile form on her face. "I think you'll have to put those plans on hold."

Dane snarled at her before the words processed. "Jens, move!"

The bandit froze at the shout, just long enough for Siesta to dive from the rafters and sink her blades into his skull. The knife at Kirche's throat fell away as the bandit went limp, Siesta rolling out of her jump and charging straight for Dane, two more knives in hand.

Dane roared and sent another wave of fire her way, but Siesta threw one of her knives into the fire and rolled aside. The metal liquified instantly, but the molten liquid spattered across Dane's skin, making him yowl in pain. Seizing the opportunity, Siesta crossed the distance in three strides, her other knife sinking into Dane's gut.

Dane wasn't done though. The axe fell in an arc, the haft catching Siesta on her shoulder. She screamed as the magma coursing through it burned her and the weight of the strike sent her flying into the wall. Tabitha attempted to charge in and finish the fight, but Dane was swinging with wild abandon and sending flames everywhere.

Seeing this, Tabitha ran over to Kirche and pulled her away, the larger girl stunned by the sheer amount of fire flying everywhere. On the way, Kirche gathered enough sense to reach out and grab Siesta, the two getting dragged away by Tabitha.

With them out of harm's way, Louise allowed herself to feel all the anger, despair, confusion, and sheer rage she'd been holding in since the blaze. As her emotions ran wild, something in her rose to the front of her mind and… mixed.

"Fire and water…"

Dane seemed to realize what the chant was, the flames roaring from the axe taking the shape of dragons that screeched towards Louise.

"Earth and wind…"

The dragons ran headlong into a barrier, Louise's magic creating a Void before her.

"Light and darkness…"

White energy began to gather at the tip of Louise's staff, the serpent's head glinting wickedly.

"All form the world, but all form the void. Creation and annihilation, all in one and one in all…"

The energy formed a sphere, the glow unearthly and its surface slowly fading until it was see-through. Dane, in one last desperate attempt, sent a surge of fire and flame at Louise, enough to burn both her and the city of Roer to ashes.

"I am master of creation and destruction, breaker of the sacred mirror… heed my words, heathen."

Louise's eyes were as stone, power shining like beacons as the ball of nothingness shrunk to a kernel. The fire was upon her, demons and serpents darting forward to claim the first of many lives.

"One such as you does not deserve the axe you hold. Fall to the fate of those that came before."

"Shatter."

The kernel exploded, a wave of unseen force rolling from the staff and into the flame. The fire died instantly, its power snuffed as the Void claimed it for its own. As the wave advanced, rendering all it touched to fragments, Dane could only let loose a wordless screech as the power slammed into him.

The power froze before flowing straight into Dane. The bandit didn't know what happened, but he took one step forward… then another… then another…

Confidence renewed, he charged Louise with the axe held high. "Bow before Dane Fire-Axe!"

And he shattered.

Louise sank to her knees as the fragments of the man once known as Dane fell around her, not even a speck of blood to stain the floor further. The only part that was bigger than a splinter was an eye, its lids still crinkled in the beast's final moment of triumph.

Louise didn't notice any of it. All she could see was the axe that lay upon the ruined floor, her friends taking shelter behind the door they'd first come through, and Neb's head snaking towards her.

"Siesta… Kirche… take care of them."

Neb frowned but nodded. "I will, Louise. Please, rest, we have accomplished a great thing this day."

Louise nodded before her head tilted back and she screamed. All her rage, sadness, and frustration were let out in a great burst of emotion that sent birds flying and Montmorency bounding up the stairs, Guiche not a step behind her.

When they arrived, they found Louise passed out next to Siesta, Tabitha comforting Kirche as the Germanian allowed herself to cry. Neb kept watch over them all, a flash of blue outside showing Sylphid's arrival.

Finally, Flame waddled up the stairs gingerly, his wounds still stinging. He didn't care though, not when Kirche wrapped him in her arms and sobbed, relief filling them both.

Neb though, began to walk away. "Keep watch over them. I have some uninvited guests to take care of."

Montmorecny didn't say a word, only calling forth her healing water. Guiche, in turn, looked out of the hold in the wall. By the looks of it, several soldiers had arrived at the warehouse, a familiar figure at the front in full ceremonial armor.

Count Viserio.

 _Likely here to take all the credit and silence us to do it. Good luck with that._

Guiche snorted and went to lend a hand. The bastards out there had no idea what was coming.

No one messed with Neb's clutch when they were recovering.

No one.

 _Ch. End_

 **This is far too long coming. Far FAR too long.**

 **Unfortunately, life does not like us. NPC got so busy he could only make an outline for the chapter that I have in turn used to create this offering. I hope it placates our loyal readers who've stuck it out these last few months. (If you notice a break in writing style, that's where NPC's work got to before I finished the rest of it. Sorry about that.)**

 **In good news, we've discovered an easier way to get these chapters made in a more expedient manner. With summer upon us, I will also have more time to write as well.**

 **(Also, I can't remember if Montmorency's familiar was ever given a name. Please let me know if he already has one, I'll fix it when I can!)**

 **Here's hoping we don't wait four months this time ^_^;**

 **Hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Oh, reviews!**

 **OBSERVOR01: She'll get it next time, that I can promise.**

 **Slayer of the abyss: I don 't claim to be the best at characterization, nor do I claim to be the best writer, but I do believe the jealousy is a very human thing and it leads to irrational choices and decisions that we regret. Love has a bad habit of making said decisions get amplified many times over. Hope you like this chapter!**

 **Guest: They'll have their time, don't you worry.**

 **I apologize to the other reviewers, but I only respond to reviews to the most recent chapters. It makes sure, to me at least, that they're likely to see the response.**

 **Now, bye for real!**


	24. Advancing Shadows

**Alright ladies and gents, this will be out before four months pass!**

 **Louise: Don't tempt fate, you know how that works.**

 **7: I know, but there's time for once! Why not use it to get this next chapter out?**

 **Neb: Did you end up with something good?**

 **7: *Evil Cackle***

 **Louise: I… should go warn Siesta. Today's not going to be good for her.**

 **Neb: Or anyone for that matter. Let's… just get this over with.**

 **7: I couldn't agree more!**

 **Let's have some fun!**

 **(As always, a huge thanks to RandomNPC247 who continues their amazing help despite a busy schedule!)**

 _Advancing Shadows_

Viserio hadn't felt more alive in decades.

All it had been since his retirement was paperwork and formal appearances, his grandeur and prestige fading with each passing day. Every attempt to secure a position was rebuffed by the promotion of some young hothead that would invariably do terribly.

But Viserio would not be the vulture and let them fail, preferring to chase grander appointments than those pittances he'd originally thought of. It was only fitting that lower offices had such terrible candidates, so why waste his time with them.

Then he'd been taken on as the minister of Roer, a rightly prestigious post, but the Lady ignored or counteracted his advice at every turn and it wasn't long before he was a glorified captain of the guard.

Such a fall for one once known as the 'Steel General'.

But Viserio had honed his skills over many years, so why did he need to 'innovate' as Jessamine said? If they could not see the glory of his actions, then Viserio was more than glad to demonstrate them.

Why else would the sycophants stare in awe at the grand throne he'd built, or the great painting that glared down at them? Why would he wear such fine clothes and hold such grand lands? On the permission of the Duchess?

No, Viserio had earned his position and power, no matter that time marched ever on from his accomplishments. It wasn't his fault others failed to see what he had done.

But now, as the bandit hideout came into sight, he felt his blood thrill. Those students had inadvertently led his troops to this place, and now Viserio was ready to claim the glory once more.

It was only right after all the trouble the bandits and students had caused. Not to mention forcing him to wear this blasted armor on a humid night when he could've been enjoying it with a good wine.

"We're nearly there, milord." One of the soldiers said, Viserio harrumphing in answer. "Our scout reports no further activity; the fight appears over."

Viserio grinned, showing his yellow teeth. "Then we're right on time. Have the men surround the warehouse and close in. We'll need to take an account of the bodies."

He wasn't really looking forward to having to write to the students' families. Sure, the bandits and their treasure were claimed and removed, but such a large group of students dying would reflect poorly… on Jessamine.

Suddenly, he wasn't so apprehensive.

"Um, sir." The same soldier began, nerves entering his voice. "Something big is moving in the warehouse. We think it's Lady Valliere's familiar."

Viserio frowned, not liking that. "Probably feral after the loss of its master. Approach carefully, use the tactics for dragons, and you should be fine. It's just a lizard, albeit a large one."

The soldier nodded, but everyone tensed as the warehouse doors were blown open with a crack of thunder and a screech. From the wreckage came Neb, two heads glaring through the night with eyes like gold torches.

"Two heads?" Viserio muttered, confused. "It had one not this morning… were those rumors true?"

Neb stomped towards them, making cracks in the road with every step. "You shall not interfere, Count. Those within are the heroes this day, not you. Return to your castle and inform the Duchess, the bandits are dealt with."

Viserio looked like he'd sucked on a lemon. "I am the leader of the guards here, I must inspect the scene of the battle. Would you interfere with my responsibilities?"

One of Neb's heads snaked down, eyes even with Viserio. "What could you do that we haven't already? My master's companions already count the casualties, and they are far better than your group of yes-men even tired as they are. Leave, inform your superior, and we will give our reports in the morning."

His other head hissed, teeth flashing in the light of the soldier's torches. "Or do not and leave the hard way."

Viserio stared at Neb for a long pair of moments before scoffing. "Your master would tell you to step aside, familiar. It is my right to enter that warehouse, and I will do so. Even tack on a sentence for your master, what with you obstructing justice."

Neb's eyes flashed with fury. "Justice? You call coming here to take the credit of our work and silence witnesses justice?"

"What accusations!" Viserio laughed, voice cracking as he spat a wad of phlegm on the road. "Those words are baseless; your slander only adds to the young Valliere's crimes!"

Neb ignored him in favor of the soldiers. "Do you truly follow this man out of loyalty? If so, stay, and share his fate. If not… leave and spare yourselves."

A moment passed, but none left, the soldiers drawing their weapons as Viserio laughed again. "See, these men know their master! Remove this lizard and arrest everyone inside, we'll sort out everything later!"

The soldiers advanced, spears up front while arrows were notched behind them.

Neb shook one of his heads. "So be it. I did warn you, let the record show, correct Guiche?"

Viserio glanced towards the warehouse and saw the young Gramont nodding. "That you did, Neb. I'll bow out now though, still have friends to take care of."

His blonde head vanished inside, and Neb began to growl. "Last chance. Leave now and never threaten my master again. Or, you shall know agony."

The last word was closer to a screech than a word, a few cowards in the back deciding then and there to bolt. The rest though didn't budge, apparently sure they could handle Neb. Why wouldn't they? He was just a lizard while they had a powerful mage on their side.

Neb was not just a lizard. He proved it when the first spearman attempted to go for a gap in his scales only for his claws to lash out send the spearman into a building.

Viserio responded by conjuring blades of steel and sending them straight at Neb. Neb's front legs collapsed and most of the blades clanged off his hard scales, a few barely piercing his hide. Once the assault was done, the soldiers closed in, eager to take advantage of Neb's turtled form.

A head shot out like a viper, seizing an archer in its jaws and sending him into a building. The next head did the same, both soldiers slumping over unconscious. The others were steadfast and sent their weapons forth, but their blades either bounced off or gave gashes that were more show than substance.

Neb stood and whipped around, his tail sending several flying away. Then he charged the remainder and scattered them, but they regrouped and attacked again. This repeated itself several times, each charge ending with more of the soldiers' unconscious and only a smattering of bleeding wounds on Neb's body to show for their effort.

"One more chance!" Neb boomed, body shaking as he stretched. "No other has received so many, you would be wise to take this one!"

Viserio responded with a lance of steel, the blade aimed square at Neb's neck. Neb was expecting it to do damage, but not to have the damn thing take said head off. While he screeched in surprise, the soldiers cheered and rallied.

At least until Neb began to laugh.

Confusion swiftly gave way to horror as the soldiers watched the bleeding stump cease its flow, flesh and bone bubbling in a revolting mass before two new heads burst forth with twin screeches. Not only that, but the wounds they'd inflicted in Neb's hide had already stitched closed.

Seeing this shattered the soldiers' morale, every sensible soldier retreating in an orderly fashion while the non-sensible turned tail and ran. This pleased Neb greatly if his chortles meant anything.

"Cowards!" Viserio shouted after them. "Get back here and finish what you started! I'll have your heads for this!"

Neb snorted and advanced on the count, eyes leaking scorn. "You have no right to say such things, Count. Your secrets are mine now, and one such as you deserves no accolades."

More steel flew through the air, Viserio's armor becoming a second skin as he drew a wand-blade and charged Neb. Neb ignored the stinging stakes the burrowed into his flesh and stared down the man before he was upon the hydra. Then, Neb's foot shot forward and smashed the count into the ground.

"You know nothing of me!" The count growled as he tried to push Neb's paw off his chest. "Release me, beast! Your master is dead on my word, all her friends too for this insult!"

Neb's heads leaned down and glared at the count. "I was not lying when I say your secrets are mine, Count. You are boastful, vain, and prone to prattling when you think none can hear you."

Neb's tail plucked something from his back, a small trinket of silver hanging on the end.

Viserio went silent at the sight of the trinket, Neb smirking wickedly. "You recognize this, yes? Tell me, did it ever occur to you that presenting yourself so gaudily in the palace of a Duchess wouldn't make anyone suspicious? Or that having the same Duchess send my master to you for information on the bandits wasn't a little odd?"

The trinket tinkled as Neb's eyes filled Viserio's vision, the scent of blood on his breath. "You think so highly of yourself, old man. It would be only natural for one such as you to want all the glory, and to spread that glory to as many ears as possible."

Neb cackled, the sound almost demonic. "Especially a mistress. Should there be a next time… don't leave so much scent with her and keep your mouth shut."

Neb's paw pressed down, steel screeching under the force. "It may just save your life."

Viserio started blubbering threats, pleas, and a variety of curses before sense won out and he surrendered. Neb snorted and removed his paw, an aggravated glare sending the sad sack scurrying after his men.

"You enjoy sending people scurrying, don't you?" Guiche asked as he walked out, soiled bandages in hand. "So you know, Monmon and Tabitha are getting everyone patched up. Kirche's still shaken, but I don't think she'll be ready to talk until morning at the earliest."

Neb sighed and gave Guiche a light shove with his elbow. "Would you want to talk after that ordeal? We're just lucky the bandits weren't the lowest of the low, or none would be alive and Kirche would be much worse off."

Guiche grimaced, visibly sickened. "Indeed… it doesn't matter, nothing like that happened. Will you help us get them back to the palace? The sooner Lady Jessamine knows, the sooner we can have some peace."

Neb shook his head and looked to the warehouse. "Peace… that's relative, my boy. There are two artifacts with us now, and such power always attracts trouble."

"After this night, we may never know peace again."

 _-Viserio-_

"Cowards, the lot of them!"

The count pounded down the street, armor clanging as his mind raged. The audacity of that familiar, of his master, was too much an insult to ever forgive! He needed information, anything he could find on that damn Valliere girl, to make her and her group suffer for this trespass!

Maybe get a letter to the church, out the lizard as blasphemous. That was sure to reap great rewards and status, not to mention ending that puny group that dared think themselves his betters! No one else would dare stand with them with only their word against his!

"Calm yourself, Lord Viserio, I can tell much troubles you."

Viserio froze in place, recognizing the voice that came from alley he was passing. "You… Viscount Wardes… what are you doing here?"

A handsome man with a goatee of grey and long hair of the same color exited the alley, his fine clothes and cloak marking him as a noble. "Why, just checking on things. Tell me, what seems to bother the grand man before me?"

Viserio appreciated the compliment. "It's a bunch of damn upstarts that's causing me trouble! They've insulted my pride and obstructed my duties for no reason, and I must find a way to make them pay for it!"

Wardes stroked his goatee, an easy smile on his lips. "I see… they wouldn't happen to be that group of students in town, would they?"

Viserio coughed in surprise, amazed that Wardes already knew what the source of his ire was. "Yes, that's them! Do you know something I don't? Tell me!"

Wardes's smile didn't change, but there was an undeniable glint of wicked glee in his eyes. "I may have something, yes…"

"Just be sure to have someone check in on Lady Jessamine in about twenty minutes. Heaven knows she'll need to hear about this."

 _-Tabitha-_

The return to the palace was… quiet.

Tabitha had gone and gathered a large group of guards and guided them to the warehouse, the unconscious bandits restrained while Guiche and Montmorency spirited Louise, Siesta, and Kirche back to the palace.

So it was with some confusion she arrived in a silent courtyard, Sylphid instructed to stay behind when the dragon began to sniff curiously. "Big sister… I smell blood…"

Tabitha's eyes widened, her legs carrying her into the palace and conjuring a twister upon her staff. She too could smell the tang of blood, but it was strongest from the direction of the throne room. Fearing the worst, Tabitha ran for the grand doors and threw them open.

"What…?"

Tabitha's jaw dropped as she looked around, the throne room torn to shreds. Columns and walls held slash marks and scratches wider that Tabitha's head, craters and shredded cloth littering the floor. Then there was the blood splattered everywhere and the viscera that clung to the stone, bodies flung to and fro.

Finally, in the ruined throne itself, sat Jessamine, a snarl frozen on her face.

A hole breathed where her heart once was.

"By the Founder…" Tabitha breathed, unconsciously switching to her native tongue and wondering how no one had found this yet. "It's… it's like there was a duel to the death in here! How could none of known?"

A glance to one of the other bodies showed it as a guard, the reason clicking into place. "The search. Whoever came and did this, they must've used the search as a distraction! But… what are we to do now? Jessamine's word kept us safe, but…"

The sound of footsteps coming down the hall made Tabitha shoot into the air silently, her body calling on old skills to escape into an out of sight spot without stirring a mote of dust.

"Lady Jessamine, are you in? I was told one of the page boys dropped a new roast…"

The door creaked open, the air shattered by the shriek of the poor maid that peered inside. "Lady Jessamine! Oh Founder, someone call the guards, the Lady's been killed!"

Tabitha remained where she was, recognizing the situation now. Whoever had killed Jessamine left the scene for someone to find, then made it so someone else would walk in and catch the gob smacked bastard amongst the violence. A perfect frame job for anyone that hadn't seen it done before.

"Whoever did this, thought it out." Tabitha muttered, her voice more confident and firm in the words of her native tongue. "If it had been anyone but me, they'd have likely gotten the brunt of the investigation… thought I may still get it, since those cuts came from wind magic."

She watched as guards and servants poured into the hall, everyone shouting over each other. It was only a matter of time before someone thought to light the torches, so Tabitha slipped away and sent for Sylphid through their link.

"No matter," Tabitha sighed as she exited onto a ledge. "I need to find Sergeant Carol and start helping… that's what Louise would do… what any of them would do… not to mention it'll keep suspicion off of us."

Tabitha heaved a tired sigh and jumped, landing on Sylphid's back and flying off to begin her search.

Rest would have to come later. She could only hope the others would be spared the sight of the carnage, but with the guards in such a tizzy and no one to direct them, who knew?

 _-Montmorency-_

Getting back was an ordeal in of itself.

Neb had to stick around as a living beacon for Tabitha, so it was up to Montmorency and Guiche to get everyone loaded up and out of there. Kirche had passed out after exhaustion caught up, so Flame used the last of his strength to carry her.

Louise and Siesta were taken up by the remaining Valkyries, Guiche guiding the constructs while Montmorency ran between the three patients administering various potions, bandages, and other medical items.

Doing that the entire trip was taxing to put it mildly.

They were so exhausted that the smell of blood passed unnoticed, the group taking another entrance to their rooms that never came near the throne room. In fact, they were so tired, the blondes almost fell asleep the moment they had everyone settled.

Then the situation hit them.

"Founder, what are we doing?" Montmorency mumbled as she rocked on her bed. "We… we just walked into a firestorm and came out alive… but so many others didn't… by our own hands…"

Montmorency had never once in her life slain another living being before today… that wasn't a mindless monster. All the ingredients she'd ever used had been sent to her or bought, so she'd never had a hand in ending a feeling thing's life.

Now she'd killed humans, just like those damned orcs and goblins… did that make her no better than those malicious mud-born constructs?

 _They were bandits and set on destroying so much. You saw the aftermath of the blaze, they deserved to die!_

Such words did little to convince or console the dejected girl. She'd long believed that nobles like her were above such barbaric actions as slaying one another, with only the greatest of criminals deserving death. Yet, to see reality where magic and steel worked hand in hand to kill…

She had to wonder if she'd ever be able to enter battle again.

"Monmon…" Guiche sighed from his spot in the room, cloak thrown over his chair. "I understand what you mean, but we swore… many months ago that we wouldn't turn back from this journey."

Montmorency buried her head in her arms, not wanting Guiche to see her start crying. "I know… but the blood… the burns… the sounds… I'll never sleep again…"

Guiche shook his head, eyes equally haunted. "I know… but I also know this was inevitable. When we took those blades, I knew one day we'd have to end a human's life… but it still makes me tremble, just the thought of it."

He held out his hands, the normally strong limbs shaking. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but my father warned me about killing."

Montmorency looked up with eyes swimming in tears, curiosity barely beating self-loathing. "He… did? Why would a great general like him warn about… killing?"

Guiche sighed at how she spat the word. "My father has slain many over the years, he was very up-front about that. He told me that taking the life of another, no matter if they be sinners or saints, changes you. He called it losing your 'last innocence', as all will lose their naivety at some point, but most are secure in that they have never killed."

Montmorency's hands gripped at her sleeves. "Then we are no longer children… but perhaps that is for the best."

She glared at the lone unoccupied corner of the room, where the Mountain Cleaver sat inert. "Only monsters should hold such weapons. At least we'll hate ourselves too much to ever use them."

Gucihe blinked, clearly shocked by her words, but Montmorecy got off her bed and made for the door. "I'll go see if Neb's back. Keep an eye on them."

Gucihe stood and tried to stop her, but Montmorency was out the door before he could cross the room. She took a deep breath and started for the gates, the light of torches outside showing most of the guard returning.

"Took them long enough." Montmorency muttered, spying Neb's serpentine necks amongst the crowd below. "Now they can throw the remainder in the dungeons where they belong."

As they entered the palace though, Montmorency could tell they'd grown agitated. In fact, Neb was thundering inside!

Gravely concerned, Montmorency picked up the pace and sprinted for the main hall. Once there, the stench of blood filled her nose and she almost retched. "By the Founder, what happened?!"

"Someone with a death wish is what happened." Neb hissed as he stomped up to Montmorency, eyes equal parts tired and angered. "Duchess Jessamine is dead. The guards are investigating, but there's no denying whose body that is."

Montmorency looked sick. "Then… what of Sergeant Carol? Surely she would've been here to help prevent this?"

One of Neb's heads turned and began to speak to a guard that had jogged up, the other focused on Montmorency. "Sergeant Carol was found unconscious in an alley just north of where we fought. She's been beaten black and blue, but her lance was bloodied as well. Best we can tell, she ran into lookouts like you, but fell unconscious shortly after dispatching them."

The head shook. "There were no bodies at least, but scent trails from the scene went to the warehouse. Bastards cleaned up their brethren and ran."

That didn't make much sense to Montmorency, but she was glad Carol was okay. "Then what are we to do now? Jessamine allowed us to stay here, but now we hold no such guarantee. Not to mention the crown's going to want to know about this and the power vacuum at that."

Neb slumped, voice beyond tired. "We'll have to leave them to sort that out, just be glad we're not being accused of the death. For now, our duty is done, and we all deserve a rest for that… but I can tell you'd rather not return to the rooms."

Montmorency crossed her arms and looked away. "What makes you think that?"

"Because Louise was the same after she returned from the capital." Neb sighed, his other head returning. "And after the fire's devastation was clear. The first required my words and her friends to recover, but she was strong enough to rebound from the fire with only a little help."

The heads gestured for Montmorency to follow him, and she did. "Guiche told me, before you came here, that today were your first kills. If you need it, my ears are yours, and I will do what I can to help."

"You have ears?" Montmorency jested, but Neb's eyes remained gentle. "I… I guess I just need time. I know that those bandits were scum and the world is better without them, but the very idea that I've slain another is… abhorrent."

Neb nodded. "It is, to your sensibilities. I am a predator, so I don't truly understand, but I will tell you what I told Louise."

His gold eyes grew level with hers, the slits like an abyss in the gold around it. "You did the right thing in a situation that offered no alternatives. They threatened the lives of yourself and your friends, no one would dare call you a monster for that. Least of all I… or any of your friends."

Montmorency sniffled, emotion crawling through her exhausted mind. "But… killers are monsters… everyone knows that…"

"Monsters are those that enjoy killing for the sake of it." Neb soothed, voice smooth and kind. "Those orcs and goblins we fought when we began, those are monsters. The leader of the bandits, that was a monster. You, dear Montmorency, are nothing like that. None here would call you such."

Montmorency snorted and stopped, staring up at the lightening sky. "There's one, myself. Your words help, Neb, but… I'll need time. I feel lost… alone almost… but it's all on me to sort this out."

Neb hummed, impressed. "Indeed, you must ultimately come to terms with it on your own. But, do not isolate yourself, or let this change you. Stand by those who care for you, and I feel you'll be fine."

"You mean Guiche?" Montmorency queried, words wistful. "The boy couldn't comfort a roast. He tries, and he tries, but he never seems to get any better with his words. When will he learn?"

Neb had an amused lilt in his voice when he spoke. "Has he not proven his love yet? I thought several months of training and a newborn soul of chivalry would at least win him lunch."

"I can't make it easy on him." Montmorency sighed. "Yes, we're engaged, but that was our parents' doing. I've learned much of him, and I'd even say I'm fond of him, but… I'm not sure it's love for me."

Neb looked surprised, so Montmorency elaborated. "See, I've been receiving his affections for several years, but I only ever found it annoying and he'd go off and flirt with every pair of legs he saw. I had my family's reputation to uphold, so I'd scold him, but he never changed. It wasn't until he promised to stop flirting, only to be caught two timing thanks to Siesta, that I gave up."

"You gave up?" Neb asked, his bulk creating a dull thud as he laid down. "Then why the love potion? Surely risking something so dangerous shows you felt something."

Montmorency looked away in shame. "I… I wanted a servant. Guiche and I were being wed regardless, and at the time, I thought he could at least be of use serving me hand and foot."

She didn't dare look at Neb, but she could tell he didn't approve. "Even then, I was at least glad to see him go to you for training. Not happy I got dragged into it of course, but I felt discipline was best for him, straighten him out. Now though… we're friends, after all that work, and I just don't know how to feel anymore."

Neb's leg reached out and a claw came to rest on Montmorency's chin. Gently, Neb turned her head to face him. "Montmorency, that is the past, now is the present. I will not decide this for you, but I can at least ask this."

"How does Montmorency feel about Guiche? Answer that question, and all else shall follow."

Montmorency stared at him before giggling. "You know… I always pegged you as one that knew too much and liked to lord it over people. Looks like even someone with your antics can be wise from time to time."

Neb rolled his eyes. "I know I can be a know-it-all from time to time, but I really wish all of you would come to me more often. My advice is not exclusively reserved for Louise, though she is my utmost… priority. I hope you understand."

"Why of course." Montmorency said, all sugar. "But thank you again, Neb. This helped me clear my head a bit."

Neb nodded and looked to the palace. "Good… some solace can be found this day, but… be ready."

"I fear tomorrow will bring nothing but heartache."

 _-Louise, Morning-_

Louise woke to a pounding headache and aching body, the sticky feeling of bandages and tonics all over her skin. The light that speared through the windows stabbed her eyes and intensified the pain, but Louise preferred the flashes of agony to the non-existence of unconsciousness.

It confirmed she was alive.

Eventually, the pain settled down enough for Louise to open her eyes, vision blurry. She was back at the palace, that was obvious enough, but her eyes were searching for more than just the walls and furniture.

She spotted a mop of black hair on her right, vision focusing on the color until it cleared to show Siesta, sound asleep.

Relief flooded Louise's veins, almost sending her back to sleep. She tried to speak, but only a parched croak came out. Cursing her dry throat, Louise gave Siesta a happy smile before looking to her left.

A veil of flaming red hair covering dark skin greeted her, Kirche resting just as deeply. Louise couldn't help the croak of relief and joy that escaped her throat, almost able to move her exhausted limbs. She so very wanted to go and hug the big lug, but her body was far beyond drained.

In fact, she'd only been this tired once, when she'd used all her energy in a zealous frenzy after learning the first of Neb's spells. She'd been so drunk on the joy of success that she'd passed out from total willpower depletion.

Whatever she'd used had used everything and Louise felt it in every bone and muscle.

Regardless, she summoned the strength and reached for her bedside, a desk holding a cup of water next to her. Louise sipped at first, but then gulped the rest as her dry throat rejoiced at the cool relief.

"That… hit the spot…" Louise whispered, voice raw. "Founder… it's like needles… in my throat."

She coughed and hacked, her lungs burning. What she wouldn't do for Montmorency to be here, or Tabby. Anyone to tell her what was going on.

"Sounds like someone's awake."

Louise silently wondered if she had a form of summoning magic as the door opened, Montmorency and Tabitha walking in.

Tabitha crossed the room in three strides, arms wrapping tightly around Louise. "Thank the Founder…"

Louise blinked, not sure what the big deal was. "Did… something happen?"

"You were touch and go, my friend." Montmorency said, walking around and conjuring more water in Louise's cup. "Whatever that spell was, it almost sucked the life out of you. I had to pull out all the stops to keep you with us."

Louise blanched, barely noticing Tabitha pull back with pink cheeks. "…Really? I… I didn't feel that bad when I passed out."

"It didn't happen until we were on our way here." Montmorency sighed. "But that doesn't matter, you're fine. Instead, we need to catch you up, a lot has happened since you went down."

Louise nodded, but slowly felt horror and panic grip her as they explained.

Duchess Jessamine was dead, no way around it, and Count Viserio had tried to claim the duchy as he was the next highest and Jessamine had no immediate family. How the old man had recovered his vigor mystified the girls, but no one was willing to reproach his claim as he was the next highest noble in the city.

However, in a twist that Louise had suspected but not truly considered, Sergeant Carol laid claim on the throne. Apparently, the resemblance to Jessamine wasn't a coincidence, they were twins, which Montmorency was able to confirm with a simple blood test.

Viserio was more than a little incensed by this, demanding to know why she'd gone amongst the people as a common soldier when she was a noble herself. Carol had explained that it was tradition for siblings with equal claim to the throne in Roer to duel shortly after their tenth birthday. The loser would be stripped of their status and sent into the military while the winner claimed the status of heir.

It made sense in retrospect, as the stain of loss would either drive the loser to despair or work to cleanse it. Carol was the latter case, but she'd remained in contact with her sister and acted as a liaison for the common people. This in turn led to great popularity for the sisters, to the point Jessamine had employed the minimum of guards as she was quite safe in her own city.

At least until she grew obsessed with hording wealth to the point of favoring simple decorations solely to grow her treasury. Then a rift had formed between the sisters that would smolder for two years before the Blaze of Galton and the bandit attacks. Now, the rift would never be mended.

Viserio didn't have much choice after that revelation. Carol was supremely popular with both the people and the local nobles, trying to challenge her claim was political suicide. Add on the dirt Neb passed along to Carol earlier that morning, and Viserio was even more a lame duck than he ever was.

Didn't mean he was finished at that point. He'd somehow concluded that Tabitha was responsible for Jessamine's death, pointing to the damage in the hall as caused by wind spells. However, when he tried to bring forth the maid that had discovered the carnage to testify, she clearly stated that no one was in the room when she arrived, least of all the petite Tabitha with her head of blue.

The man had been sent home after that with orders to relax, as the stress of the situation was clearly getting to him. He'd even been growling about 'lying bastards' and 'terrible traps' which only drove the point home.

Even still, Louise had a feeling this wasn't the last they'd heard of him. "Then… we traveled with nobles this whole time…?"

"…More commoner than noble." Tabitha noted, now in a chair. "Swift to work, little pageantry."

Montmorency nodded. "That she was. She won't say what knocked her out though, and the only magic I saw her use was manipulating a stone. It wouldn't surprise me if an ambush got her, even the best gets taken by surprise."

Louise sighed and looked to the corner of the room, the Mountain Cleaver staring back at her. "At least… we have the artifact… bet Neb's pleased."

"Pleased as punch!" A voiced rattled, Louise looking to her bedside to find Derf leaning against the sheets. "But somethin's eating at him, won't tell me. Gotta say girly, you are something else. I mean, pulling a new Void spell out of your arse? Ha! Almost makes me ok with not gutting the bastard myself!"

Louise blinked a few times. "Derf…? Founder, you've been so… quiet since we got here. Are you ok?"

"Eh, somber stuff's not for me." Derflinger rattled. "'Sides, I was off in memory lane. Roer's really changed since I was last here, used to be this little hamlet with barely a hundred folks."

Louise had to remind herself Derflinger was very old. "I see… anything else?"

Montmorency shrugged. "Neb wants to talk to you after you rest some more. We should have everyone up and moving by the time you wake up."

Louise blinked, only for a wave of drowsiness to wash over her. Combined with her own exhaustion, Louise flopped onto her pillow and fell asleep.

"Sleeping draught." Montmorency chuckled. "Gets 'em every time."

 _-Siesta-_

Siesta woke slowly, the remnants of a pleasant dream pulling at her mind. She couldn't quite recall what the dream was, but it was better than what she knew was coming. But, to her surprise the room she woke to was empty, a glass of water beside her bed.

What… is going on? Didn't Neb… or Kirche tell them about me?

She shifted, surprise doubling at the absence of bindings. This could only mean the others were unaware of what Siesta had done, and considering Kirche's state… if Neb was willing to give her another chance… she could keep quiet, throw this all under the rug.

Still hold onto Louise's heart.

…

…

…No.

Siesta hiccupped as her mind settled on that word. She couldn't do that, couldn't keep lying. It was what got them into this state in the first place, gotten Kirche into the bandits' hands and put the others in danger.

Her jealousy had been paid for, if infinitesimally, by the scars she could feel ache across her skin. The one from Galton throbbing at the thought of the fire that caused it. Then there were the new ones, which Siesta wanted to see.

Sitting up slowly, and welcoming the scratching burn of her dry throat, Siesta pulled back the frock she'd been placed in to gaze at her new scars. They were almost like trails of liquid, the puckered pink flowing down her skin like rivers.

She'd been hit with more of that molten metal than she'd thought.

 _They healed me again… and I don't deserve it. I don't deserve anything anymore. I could be quiet… but this feeling… this guilt…_

 _It'll kill me long before whatever punishment I'm given could… and I would welcome it. Even… even if it was my own hand… I would rather die… than escape what I justly deserve…_

Siesta hiccupped again, her throat unable to sob like she wanted. Instead, she wept silently, knowing that there was only one option that she could choose. Only one thing that could, in any way, hope to quiet the voices of self-loathing and hate that even now filled her mind.

She needed to come clean… and lose any trust she'd built in her time with them. Frankly, she didn't deserve the trust, didn't even know if she'd be able to trust herself…

What did mother always say? Everything has consequences, and it is the duty of everyone to stand by those consequences. No matter… if it broke your heart… or maybe your body, if you were unlucky.

Shaking the morbid thought from her head, Siesta stood slowly and gathered her clothes. She dressed quietly and with attention to the detail of the fine cloth, every article a gift from Louise. Then she laced up her boots, the hardy leather a gift from Tabitha after Siesta's originals fell apart during a training session.

Next came a lovely pair of silver earrings, these given as thanks for retrieving many of Montmorency's ingredients. Then, a small bottle of perfume that Guiche had given as an apology for his terrible behavior when they'd first met went into her pocket.

Finally, a hair clip, in the shape of a pentagram, went into her hair. This was a gift from Kirche, to show that she was now the friend of nobles and a handmaiden. She'd heard tell of such items being given to commoners, but they were the stuff of legends, so rare was the occasion.

Yet here it was, getting placed in her hair alongside all her finery. Only the chemise and kirtle under the fine clothes and ornaments were Siesta's, a reminder of her humble origins.

It was the first time she'd worn any of these… and likely her last.

Siesta looked to the mirror and couldn't help a smile. She looked like a princess from one of her books, every detail doing its best to accentuate her natural features. So lovely an image for so ugly a soul…

Siesta shook her head and took a breath before walking into the hall. It was empty, as expected, but the palace seemed almost frantic when Siesta arrived at a populated corridor. She didn't have the want or time to ask what was going on, so she avoided the crowd as best she could.

She paused when she reached the gardens, staying just out of sight in the archway. There they were, clearly relaxing, but distracted by some topic or another. Bandages covered them, all clearly exhausted, but there was a levity that always seemed to follow them.

It was only right Siesta add the sin of breaking that levity to her ledger.

There's no turning back… you lost that chance when you left Kirche in the alley and attacked Flame.

Siesta sighed and stepped into the light, the others turning to face her. Most were very surprised at her appearance, but Siesta noted Flame tense at the sight of her and Kirche's eyes were narrowed angrily.

"Wow, Siesta!" Louise gushed after overcoming her shock. "It's the first time I've ever seen you wear the clothes I bought you! See, I said you'd look great!"

Montmorency hummed in agreement. "Indeed, those clothes fit you well. I'm glad to see my old earrings have found a good home too, they're quite flattering."

Siesta blushed at the praise, but Neb's hard gaze sobered her embarrassment. "Thank you, Lady Louise, Lady Montmorency… but I have something to tell you all. It… it involves the bandits…"

Everyone was confused, save perhaps for Neb. Even Kirche was on guard, and she already knew what this was about.

"What could it be?" Louise asked, gut sinking at Siesta's somber voice. "You were off tracking them with Neb, right? We just got lucky when we found the trail Kirche left us, ourselves."

Siesta wilted a bit, feeling Neb search for any hint of deceit or dishonesty. "That's… partly correct. We did go to track them, as you ordered, but…"

"…I already knew they'd taken her."

The confession was whispered, but still heard. Louise blinked rapidly, clearly in disbelief, while Tabitha looked beyond disappointed… in fact, she looked frustrated. Guiche and Montmorency looked as shocked as Louise, but they didn't speak.

"I… I saw her get taken." Siesta said, voice somehow steady. "I was returning from shopping and walked by an alley when I heard a scuffle. I looked and saw the bandits tying Kirche up. I remember six of them, all armed. I… I froze."

She didn't dare look at anyone, preferring the ground. No response was forthcoming, so she continued. "They told me to forget what I'd seen… just move along. I had two daggers on me, but the space was too small and trying to save Kirche would've ended with both of us captured."

"T-that makes sense!" Louise cried, clearly desperate to believe Siesta hadn't done the unthinkable. "You couldn't fight that many! And there was no way to know where they were going either!"

Siesta shook her head, heart aching as Louise tried to justify the events. "I still panicked. To the point that… I drugged Flame. He'd only seen me stand there as Kirche was taken away before he started running back, and in my panic, I thought that he'd blame me. That he'd maybe make the rest of you blame me. So, I drugged him. I was so scared, so panicked…"

Her fingers clenched into a fist at her side. What she had told them so far could be enough for everyone else, if she wanted. It was truth, to the point, even if not the entire truth. She could see the sympathetic looks from the others, even from Kirche, a sort of understanding forgiveness starting to creep up on her face. But... she couldn't stand the idea of just leaving it like that. She had to tell the entire truth, and take whatever punishment came her way.

"But… I was glad." Siesta muttered, her next words clear. "I was glad to see her gone. Somewhere in my wretched breast, I was happy to see her taken. She would be fine, all nobles are, and I didn't care what they did. Kirche was gone."

"What?!" Louise shouted, voice almost a screech. There were tears in her eyes, Siesta knew it just by the slight pause before Louise's next words. "What in heaven's name could have possibly led you to that! Kirche's your friend, our friend, how could you think that!?"

Tears began to leak from Siesta's eyes once again, the earlier sympathy replaced with angered growls. "I don't know what sick, twisted logic made me glad for it, but I was! I was glad every moment she wasn't there, all until I saw you again. Then… then the guilt crept in, but I pushed it down and hid it away, all to be happy. She'd always been happy, wouldn't be hurt like I'd be, so what did it matter?"

Louise went silent, tears streaming down her cheeks at the confession. So… this was what mother meant when she preached the Rule of Steel. Keeping that eternal mask in place made something like this impossible.

It… made it impossible to have her heart shatter as someone she loved admitted such gross betrayal.

Siesta fell to her knees, too ashamed to remain standing. "That, in the end, was why I said nothing. If I'd just told everyone the second I got back, she wouldn't have had to be in their hands for so long. If I'd not let old angers and prejudices get in the way of helping someone I called friend, it would have spared everyone some of this."

"Though…" She laughed, the sound hollow and miserable. "I've no right to call anyone that now. I lied and caused such great grief and worry. I'm nothing but a… a traitor…"

The gardens were silent for a long time. Siesta was at once both relieved and resigned, knowing that her actions were soon to be paid, and she deserved every bit of it.

Louise slowly gathered herself, turning around and to bow deeply to Kirche, voice held firm with a brittle will. "I cannot apologize enough, Lady Zerbst; the actions of my servant were unforgivable. I... it's clear that they require punishment, and it is only right that you determine it."

It was cowardly of her, perhaps, but Louise couldn't think straight. She felt rage and disgust warring with her softer feelings, with her aching desire to block out the world and pretend that nothing was wrong.

Kirche flinched back, not expecting the sudden change in Louise, but she felt anger burn its way forward. The maid she'd been trying to be nice to, treating as close to an equal as any commoner could be, had left her to rot after the fact because she was glad to see her gone? Oh, she had punishments alright.

A hundred lashes could do, but considering the Louise's propensity for following things to the letter, she'd likely slay Siesta there and then. Another idea would be to strip the maid to nothing but her skin and send her to the tender mercies of the town.

…Or send her away altogether. It would be merciful, to simply find her a new place to work, as it wasn't her willingness to serve Louise that was in question. She just couldn't be on such an important mission with Kirche, it seemed.

Plus, if she was gone? If Louise had to forget all about her while Siesta was off being a proper servant, then maybe she could have a chance...

As she was starting to open her mouth though, Tabitha walked up to her friend and dragged her away, quietly asking for patience.

"What the hell, Tabby?" Kirche growled when they were away. "I was about to tell Louise to send the bitch away!"

Tabitha gave her a heated glare, speaking in her native tongue. Kirche had learned enough of it to understand it, and she didn't want to have to speak so slowly and carefully for this. "Her crimes are not in question but remember what happened afterward. She saved you from the brigand's knife, gave us the distraction needed to kill their leader, and has the marks to prove it."

Kirche snarled back, a glance showing Siesta still on her knees. "She knew what she was doing, Tabitha, and I'm already planning on giving her a lighter punishment for that! Sure, she may have come in at the last moment, but how do I know that wasn't just... her realizing that if she didn't, everything would come out?"

"Look at her!" Tabitha hissed. "Do you see some criminal mastermind? …Honestly, Kirche, we both know it was jealousy… the same thing that's talking to you right now."

That made Kirche's mind grind to a halt. Now that she thought about it, seeing Siesta again had made her irrational, especially when she'd gone and confessed her crimes. Why did she believe that Siesta would hide things, and why did her telling the truth make her mad? She had already forgiven her before she had heard the truth, after seeing the burns covering the maid's body.

…By the Founder, she was letting her own jealousy mix with her anger at the bandits.

"Thanks, Tabby... I needed that reminder. Still need to punish her some, though."

Tabitha sighed and nodded, switching languages back to Tristain. "…Expected, really. Just don't let what clouded her… cloud you."

Kirche took a deep breath and strode back to the gathering. Now that she'd been brought up for air, she could see what Siesta was now. A broken girl that, despite knowing what she faced, had still come clean. That took bravery, or overwhelming guilt, and Kirche could see that guilt damn near eating Siesta alive.

Then there were the marks she'd gained trying to make things right… trying to throw her life away if it meant saving Kirche…

…Founder, this was confusing.

"The punishment, Lady Zerbst."

Then there was Louise, a perfect bloody example of that damned Rule of Steel. It seemed that she had managed to get enough time to pull every bit of herself back down behind her mask, burying all the hurt to try to pretend it didn't exist. Everyone knew getting Louise's trust was a long, hard process, especially Kirche. Such a betrayal would likely render Siesta forever distanced from the one she loved and served. That was almost punishment enough.

But Louise would never settle for that, and neither would Siesta in her current state. In the end, Kirche had to come up with something. Time to see if Siesta's remorse was real.

"Ok… I'll have her become my servant for the next four months. If she's sincere in her regret, it'll show, if not, I will see to it her body is broken."

Louise nodded, face still set in an unsettling mask. "Very well. Siesta, you are no longer my servant, until such a time as Kirche chooses to give you back into my service. And... until such a time as I am willing to take you back into it."

The unspoken part of that, that Louise wasn't even looking at her as she said such a thing, that she no longer trusted her at all, cut deeper than anything else. Siesta had known that it would be the case, but even so... it hurt.

Louise finally looked back, eyes red around the hard look, trembling to keep from crying still. "It... is commendable that you admitted to your crimes, but to have committed them in my service is still an offense not easily forgiven, and never forgiven. Be glad, for few nobles would have been so lenient as Kirche is being."

Siesta kept her eyes upon the ground, silence her acknowledgment as she stood. Slowly, she reached up and took her hair clip and earrings off. She stepped forward, and placed them in Louise's hand, trying to keep her own composure as she nodded. "Yes. I'm... I'm glad," she whispered. "I will go change into a more appropriate uniform. Please, excuse me."

With that, she fled, the tears starting to flow free from her eyes the moment she was facing away from the others. She had come clean on her mistake, but it was a mistake she'd be feeling for a long time to come.

 _-Tristania, Royal Palace-_

"Mother, you summoned me?"

Henrietta entered her mother's chambers with her usual grace, waiting for her mother to respond. It was likely to talk about another suitor or some such nonsense, but Henrietta would bear with it like always.

…No response came.

Curious, Henrietta strode deeper in to the rooms, glancing around to see all of her mother's things in place. In fact, there was not a speck out of place.

Mother likes to keep things tidy, but this… this isn't right.

Worried, she hurried to her mother's bed chamber, almost collapsing n relief when she saw her mother sleeping peacefully.

"It's a little early to be taking a nap, Mother." Henrietta giggled as she walked up to the bed. "Come now, Cardinal Mazarin's been wanting to ask you about next week's meeting."

She shook her mother's shoulder, but the queen did not wake. Trying a little harder, Henrietta started to panic as nothing she did would wake her mother. "Mother come on… wake up, you're scaring me!"

Nothing worked, not even when Henrietta got desperate and slapped the queen. She was sure her mother would wake up and remand her, but she didn't.

"Oh Founder, I need to find a-"

Henrietta didn't finish, bubbles descending from the ceiling and bursting against her face. Henrietta sputtered at the intrusion, but felt intense drowsiness overcome her senses. "Mother… what's going on? I see… Louise…"

Henrietta fell forward, fast asleep. Her face swiftly twisted into a grimace and she started to whimper, a shadow in the shape of a woman separating from the wall. "Good… good. Now we have two sources to power this thing."

The shadow held up a staff, the great ocher gem at its head flashing as liquid light flowed through it.

"Two are ours now, and only one remains unaccounted for. Soon, it'll be time, and all the world shall burn."

The shadow faded, the staff changing to a simple coat rack that remained in the room.

It's nightmares consuming the royals.

 _-Viserio-_

"Blasted woman, taking my right from me! And damn that Wardes for tying my hands!"

Viserio was ranting and raving amid his private estate, fleeing Roer that morning in rage-filled shame. His every attempt to finally claim the throne of the duchy, where he belonged, was snatched from him all in a single day.

Why it never occurred to him that the resemblance between Jessamine and Carol was more than coincidence, he didn't know, but everything was lost now! He knew trusting the Viscount's word of a trap would be fruitless, but he'd done it anyway! Now it would be a bloody miracle if he ever got so much as a scrap of what he was due!

So incensed was the count, he didn't notice the sudden surge of light that flared from his garden, only realizing something had happened when the smell of brimstone and fire met his nose. Curious, he stormed into the garden and beheld something… strange.

It was a staff, painted the red of lava and glowing with a malicious heat. The head was a jagged rock with yellow-red crystals that gave way to a serpent depicted eating its own tail, four spikes driven through the serpent and into the base of its head.

It was vile looking… but radiated power.

A temptation that proved too strong for the man searching for a way to claim what he viewed as his rightful place. Even its frightful appearance did little to dissuade Viserio as he took the staff in hand.

A prick, a drop of blood from a tiny spike in the shaft, and Viserio's fate was sealed.

Unholy fire raced into the count's veins, the man screaming for all he was worth as power beyond mortals burned him from the inside out. So great were his screams and so oppressive was the staff's aura, that all the estate's staff immediately fled.

All that remained was the screaming count, his soul consumed by hellfire. Once the fire ate its fill, the husk that was once that count welcomed a new… resident.

" **Hm…** " A voice rumbled, power and cunning thrumming in the air. " **We need not concern ourselves with Ashan any longer**."

" **This world will be far easier to take, Lord Urgash. We need only the blood moon."**

 **Ch. End**

 **Alright, let's go, demons are starting to scheme! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter I was really looking forward to making it.**

 **Now then, reviews!**

 **Goddragonking: Why thank you, I hope you enjoy this too!**

 **DschingisKhan: It will take time for Siesta to recover from this episode. While she's sane and able to see her actions were terrible, the consequences in terms of her relationships with the others and herself will not be resolved easily. Louise made that very clear.**

 **OBSERVOR01: Success indeed! Thank you for letting me know, I was able to check with other sources thanks to your input!**

 **Kisame Hoshigaki: Louise, in this run, has much worse things to fear than frogs and their relatives. Thank Neb for knocking that out of her through sheer exposure. See above for what Seista's going through.**

 **That's all folks, and we're just glad four months won't go by between updates. See you next time!**

 **(P.S. We're so close to 200 reviews guys, can we do it by the end of next chapter? That would be freaking awesome!)**


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